09/15/2016 07:57 AM EDT
By Heather Caygle (hcaygle@politico.com or @heatherscope)
With assistance from Burgess Everett
GOP REACHES DEAL ON IRS IMPEACHMENT PUSH- House Freedom Caucus Chairman Jim Jordan and House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte reached a deal Wednesday night to postpone a vote to impeach IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. The tentative agreement, first reported by Rachael Bade, was brokered by Rep. Trey Gowdy and came just hours before Republicans were due at the Capitol to huddle behind closed doors on the issue.
The details: Koskinen is expected to testify before the Judiciary panel next week and an impeachment vote, if it happens at all, would likely be postponed until after the November election, meaning Republicans won't have to go on the record until voters have gone to the polls. Next week's hearing, while not officially an impeachment hearing, will give GOP lawmakers the chance to grill Koskinen, who has signaled he's willing to appear before the committee.
Behind the scenes: "Many Republicans don't believe Koskinen deserves impeachment, but they also don't want to be perceived as defending the most despised agency in the U.S. government," Rachael writes. "The accord lands just as centrist Republicans and Democrats appeared to have the votes to block the impeachment effort, sources said. Indeed, one Republican moderate who opposed impeachment quipped that the only reason the Freedom Caucus agreed to the deal was that they knew they didn't have the votes: 'They knew they were going to get rolled.'"
THANKS TRUMP: GOP SENATORS FEELING GOOD- Republican nominee Donald Trump has been sticking to a script lately, avoiding the headline-grabbing gaffes that dominated most of the summer and seeing a bump up in the polls as a result. And his campaign discipline is good for Senate Republicans too, who say they feel better than ever about the chances of hanging onto key seats in November. It also helps that the GOP "has hit a gusher of money from outside groups, forcing Democrats to shift their campaign tactics in difficult races," report Seung Min Kim and Burgess Everett this morning.
Let's break down the numbers: The Democratic Senate Majority PAC "had raised $31 million this entire cycle as of July 31," they write, "a figure dwarfed by [the GOP's] Senate Leadership Fund's one-month haul in August," a staggering $42 million.
Related read: "Trump has all-but-erased Clinton's lead in some of the key battleground states with major Senate races, according to a batch of new public opinion polls. He's up by 5 points in Ohio and 3 in Florida, according to the CNN-ORC poll," reports CNN's Manu Raju. "'If I'm a Senate Democrat, you have to start thinking about: Do I run away from her?' Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, said of Clinton."
McCAUL 'MISSPOKE' ON RNC HACK- House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul was on cleanup duty after a CNN appearance Wednesday night, releasing a statement shortly after saying he "misspoke" on the TV network when he claimed the RNC had been hacked. McCaul "said it was 'Republican political operatives,' not the RNC, that had been hacked. The RNC also swiftly denied that its systems had been breached," reports Louis Nelson.
HARRY REID HATES PALM TREES (And other things)- The Senate Minority Leader also isn't fond of oleander or the Yankees (Don't tell Bres). The Washington Post's Ben Terris rode around Las Vegas with Reid as he reflected on his long career and a whole lot more. "It's going to be an adjustment, I wish I could stay in the Senate forever," Reid said.
'You son of a ...' And it's always fun to relive this bit about how Reid worked to help take down the mobster he thought planted a bomb on his family's car: "Reid alerted the feds, and when they arrested [Jack] Gordon during a sting in Reid's office, Reid put him in a chokehold, shouting, 'You son of a bitch, you tried to bribe me.'"
OH YEAH, IT'S THURSDAY ALRIGHT. Welcome to Sept. 15. You're reading POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill. We're happy to report it's not supposed to be near as humid or hot as the past few days, which will make our walk to the Capitol this morning a lot more fun. Fall, is that you coming around the bend?
TODAY IN CONGRESS- The Senate meets at 9:30 a.m. with two votes at 11:30 a.m. including final passage of the water infrastructure bill and a procedural vote related to the stopgap spending bill. The House gavels in at 9 a.m. with first and last votes TBD.
AROUND THE HILL- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi will hold a photo opportunity with Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi at 9:30 a.m. in H-204. Reps. Bill Pascrell and Juan Vargas hold a press conference on the Syrian refugee crisis at 10 a.m. in the House triangle.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell meets with Aung San Suu Kyi in his office at 10:30 a.m. Pelosi holds her weekly press conference at 10:45 a.m. in HVC Studio A.
House Speaker Paul Ryan holds his weekly press conference at 11:30 a.m. in HVC Studio A. Reps. Don Beyer and Gerry Connolly hold a 2 p.m. press conference in the House triangle to call for the release of Aya Hijazi, an American citizen imprisoned in Egypt.
Rep. Karen Bass holds a 3 p.m. press conference in the House triangle on a fellowship program for the Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan.
GOP EYES LAME DUCK CONFIRMATIONS: No, not for Merrick Garland but for five new federal judges for Texas selected by GOP Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn in consultation with the White House. "I don't think it's likely that there's going to be any confirmations between now and November the 8th," Cornyn said Wednesday. "My hope is...that we would see confirmations after the election." Cornyn said other judges waiting their turn could also be confirmed.
And TPP? The prospects of the trade agreement "depends on who wins" the election, Cornyn said mysteriously.
McCONNELL AND MYANMAR-- Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's leader, will be in the Capitol today meeting with congressional leaders including longtime ally Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The Kentucky Republican "has spent nearly three decades trying to promote democracy in the country formerly known as Burma," writes Jennifer Steinhauer for the New York Times about their longtime friendship. "'This woman is truly heroic,' the senator said Wednesday, 'and it's so gratifying to see her today as, in fact, the head of state.'"
THE CR TALKS IN ONE TWEET-- Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram): Best explanation as to why Hse/Senate aren't ready to move stopgap spending/Zika bill yet from Sr CapHill source: "It's only September 14th"
MUD SLINGING DOWN IN THE SWAMPLAND-GOP Rep. Charles Boustany is pointing the finger at a key challenger in his bid for the Louisiana Senate seat, saying state Treasurer John Kennedy is tied to claims linking Boustany to prostitutes. The Kennedy campaign denied any links to the allegations but "Boustany would have none of it, saying Kennedy or his 'operatives' peddled the story to media throughout the state 'to try to save the twilight of his own political career,'" reports Greg Hilburn for the News Star. "I'm very confident Louisiana will not reward a sleazy politician," Boustany said.
TEXANS TEAM UP-Sen. Ted Cruz is joining Sen. John Cornyn to headline "two fundraisers Oct. 6 in Texas - one in Dallas, the other in Houston - to help the vulnerable incumbents win re-election, according to invitations. The events will benefit Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Rob Portman of Ohio and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania," reports Patrick Svitek for the Texas Tribune.
LOUISIANA LAWMAKERS DEFEND SANDY VOTES- "Louisiana lawmakers are defending their 2013 votes against aid for Hurricane Sandy relief - even as they request billions of dollars to help their state recover from last month's floods," report the Hill's Timothy Cama and Devin Henry. Sen. Bill Cassidy and Reps. John Fleming and Steve Scalise voted against Sandy aid in 2013 but "Fleming and Cassidy say they voted against the $50 billion Sandy bill because it included $33 billion for programs unrelated to the storm damage. They say the Louisiana request has no such extraneous spending."
NEW THIS MORNING- The New Democrat Coalition is out with its list of higher education priorities, including plans to reduce student loan debt and increase opportunities for veterans and first generation college students. The New Dems also want to address sexual assault on campus and push more women and people of color into STEM programs.
PAUL RYAN'S JOB MIGHT GET A LOT HARDER NEXT YEAR- "However many House seats Republicans lose, the GOP majority is expected to narrow," writes Kristina Peterson for the Wall Street Journal. And "the GOP lawmakers most vulnerable in November are also those most willing to cross the aisle on policy. Reps. Bob Dold of Illinois and Carlos Curbelo of Florida have supported some new curbs on gun sales, while Rep. Mike Coffman of Colorado has broken with his party on some immigration proposals. 'That's one of the unfortunate things: the most vulnerable members are often the ones that are most constructive,' said Rep. John Delaney (D., Md.)."
** A message from United for Medical Research: America's investment in medical research - through the National Institutes of Health - is making amazing things possible. This week, United for Medical Research proudly launches a new podcast series, Amazing Things, that tells the stories of NIH-funded research on the cusp of changing lives and saving healthcare dollars. http://bit.ly/amazingthingspod **
ON THE ROAD AGAIN- Speaking of Speaker Ryan, he will be in Indiana Friday, campaigning with Rep. Todd Young, who is running against Democrat Evan Bayh in the Senate race, reports the Indianapolis Star.
LAWMAKERS MULL HOUSE RULES CHANGES-House lawmakers are considering a package of rules changes for the next Congress in direct response to two of the most significant events of this Congress-the ouster of House Speaker John Boehner last fall and Democrats' gun control sit-in this summer. Roll Call's Lindsey McPherson has more.
WEDNESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER- Joe Bookman was the first to correctly list Supreme Court nominees confirmed without nay votes: Morrison Waite, Harry Blackmun, John Paul Stevens, Sandra Day O'Connor, Antonin Scalia and Anthony Kennedy.
TODAY'S TRIVIA- Joe with today's question: How many women have served in the House and Senate total and which states haven't elected a woman to either chamber? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in tomorrow's Huddle. Get at me: hcaygle@politico.com
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** A message from United for Medical Research: The greatest returns on the federal government's investment in the National Institutes of Health are discoveries that lead to improved health, longer lives and the ability to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. Without question, NIH-funded research is making the impossible possible. Listen to the Amazing Things podcast with Northwestern University's Vadim Backman and learn about a universal cancer test in development that can detect cancer at its earliest stage with something as simple as a swab of the cheek. NIH funding: Because America's investment in medical research is making amazing things possible. http://bit.ly/ATPcancer **
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