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12/08/2017 08:00 AM EDT


By Heather Caygle (hcaygle@politico.com or @heatherscope)

WAM, BAM, THE CR IS DONE MA'AM - Just like that, the House and Senate quickly passed a stopgap funding bill Thursday, giving congressional leaders two more weeks to hammer out a broader deal. Earlier in the day President Donald Trump met with the "Big Four" congressional leaders - Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi - at the White House in a bid to jump-start negotiations over a two-year budget deal. "We had a good meeting. We agreed to keep on talking," McConnell said after the meeting.

"The vast majority of the talks focused on spending levels, and the two parties did not come to a consensus," according to a Democratic aide, Bres, Sarah Ferris and Nancy Cook report. "Democrats want parity for any defense and non-defense spending boost, while Republicans want to see the Pentagon get the bulk of any spending increase." The group also talked about a legislative fix for Dreamers. Republicans have said the issue will be addressed early next year. But earlier in the day Pelosi reiterated her position that lawmakers will not leave here in December without a fix.

Oh yeah, and there's also this: "The shutdown dance comes as Republican leaders and the White House are pushing to finish work on a trillion-dollar-plus tax cut plan being hashed out by House and Senate tax writers," they report. "Ryan and McConnell are hoping to buy enough time in the budget talks to complete work on the tax bill, all while mollifying their defense hawks and conservative hard-liners in the House Freedom Caucus." The latest: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce6de171ef9c09e2ddb5dd22d40b5c726b915c588125e0ea029901350fe87ab99156c4caca75e3212e3e2abf135c3f58

A make-or-break moment for Collins: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) might change her vote on the final tax bill if McConnell doesn't fulfill a promise to pass a pair of bills to prop up Obamacare's wobbly insurance markets. Speaker Ryan, meanwhile, has said he is not beholden to any such deal. Adam Cancryn explains: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce6de171ef9c09e25d790508114878dc755da50e23551462651852fdbd30e592ebae1b056e63975755d9aafc558231cc

FRANKS TO RESIGN AFTER SURROGACY PUSH - Rep. Trent Franks will resign at the end of January after discussing surrogacy issues with two female staffers. Franks, a Republican from Arizona, is the third member to announce his resignation this week and the first GOP lawmaker to do so. Speaker Ryan's office said Thursday that the speaker learned of "credible claims of misconduct" against Franks last week, referred the allegations to the Ethics Committee and then asked him to resign. Franks, who represents an area outside of Phoenix, is a staunch social conservative who has sponsored numerous anti-abortion bills.

The Ethics panel voted unanimously yesterday to establish an investigative subcommittee to look into whether Franks engaged in "conduct that constitutes sexual harassment and/or retaliation for opposing sexual harassment." Rachael, Kyle and Elena with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce6de171ef9c09e2cb3015653f930e7660e1b330712776a98ed6238dc4b1d1e8d48e4376d30b0880a6f06f4cf889aace

FRANKEN TO RESIGN 'IN COMING WEEKS' - Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) announced plans to resign in a floor speech Thursday. Franken, who did not apologize for any of the alleged sexual harassment incidents, also took a shot at Trump and Roy Moore. "I, of all people, am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the Senate with the full support of his party," Franken said.

Seven women have accused Franken of groping them or trying to forcibly kiss them, including a former Democratic congressional aide who told her story to POLITICO this week. His exact resignation date is still being determined. Elana and Seung Min: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce6de171ef9c09e2ecaa612bf7d45b51b540669ad7004459f28c3cd243742cac42d6179a7bb96aa988d38bd5168b93f8

Why Franken and Rep. John Conyers had to go: "It doesn't matter if Nancy Pelosi calls you an 'icon,' or if most Senate Democrats consider you a friend who just this year got comfortable enough in the job as senator to let his comedian side show in public," Edward-Isaac Dovere writes. "For a party heading into 2018 planning to run against Republicans as morally and legally corrupt, they know they need a clean argument." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce6de171ef9c09e27ca7be2d53a521e90f2f7574d411cce316f39f359dd0b8bf8177cc26325fad9f7d962c6ceb24f733

CHEERS TO THE WEEKEND. IT COULDN'T COME SOON ENOUGH. Thanks for reading Huddle on this Friday, Dec. 8, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill.

OUTSIDE, IN - COORDINATING CARE FOR THE ARMED FORCES: The three medical services for our armed forces -the VA, DOD and private providers - have historically been challenged by inadequate resources for care coordination. But now that the VA has purchased the same electronic health record system as the Pentagon, hopes are growing that we are on a path to better integration. On Tuesday, POLITICO, VA Sec. David Shulkin, M.D. and more will discuss what new opportunities greater integration might create, and what barriers still remain. Dec 12, 2017 - Doors open 3:30 p.m. - The Newseum. RSVP: here.


** A message from RetireSafe: When Medicare patients pickup their medicines at the pharmacy, the cost at the register is often higher than the drug's actual price. That's because deep manufacturer-negotiated discounts and rebates end up in the pockets of the middlemen instead of patients. Help fix this problem. Support CMS' new proposed rule. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce6de171ef9c09e2478874eec589bbed212c8090b3169e4eab481d3cbc729f557c52873f70849f07c82fe445b4ccec32 **

THURSDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Zack Stanton's deep dive into the rise and fall of Rep. John Conyers was the winner.

WEEKEND READ: "Kirsten Gillibrand's moment has arrived: The New York senator has made sexual assault the focus of her political career. Now, the world has caught up with her." From POLITICO Magazine's David Freedlander: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce6de171ef9c09e2d7d061aecfeea300b67b1f20f4661ac414ba0cee6c9144d645945be8245fa9b83eb68602b8ac832a

KIHUEN HANGING ON, FOR NOW - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi won't call for a primary challenger to take on Nevada Rep. Ruben Kihuen, despite saying the freshman Democrat should resign due to sexual harassment allegations. But while she and other Democratic leaders aren't making a concerted effort to push him out behind the scenes, that can and likely will change if more allegations against Kihuen surface, Democratic aides said. "We have a responsibility to uphold the dignity of the House of Representatives," Pelosi said Thursday. Much more from your Huddle host: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce6de171ef9c09e23c17e7e684593e6866e70c819a3af93a11d6e6ad769df9871463fde89cfe8b03b016ac7fe65f5205

ETHICS PANEL TO INVESTIGATE FARENTHOLD - The House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into Rep. Blake Farenthold on Thursday over allegations that he sexually harassed a former aide and then retaliated against her when she complained about it, Rachael and Bres report. "The committee said new evidence in the matter, which was first reviewed in 2015, warranted an investigation. Earlier Thursday, the panel said it was seeking an interview with Lauren Greene, the former aide who says she was sexually harassed by the Texas Republican." Farenthold paid $84,000 in taxpayer funds to settle a claim with Greene in 2014. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce6de171ef9c09e25b609dd644f137a828debe399c42688ef38ff6d61f43e755e5a62699e81bfa1f0fa43780368398f0

Related: Rep. Mia Love (R-Utah) joined Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) in saying Farenthold should resign. GOP leaders, so far, have not called on him to step down. CNN: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce6de171ef9c09e288eff312f5e02a71a5225789b8ab7559c1cb3257c8edd3aa616afe16e16074a9375527b168b592d2

LEWIS SKIPPING CIVIL RIGHTS OPENING - Revered civil rights icon John Lewis (D-Ga.) will be skipping the opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum this weekend because Trump is supposed to attend. "Lewis' comments came less than a day after he expressed doubts about whether he could 'live with myself' if he appeared on the same program as his political nemesis. The 30-year congressman and civil rights leader said it was not appropriate for Trump to be invited given his response this summer to white supremacist rallies in Charlottesville, Va," Tamar Hallerman reports. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) also said Thursday he's not going.

Tone deaf: White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said it was "unfortunate that these members of Congress wouldn't join the President in honoring the incredible sacrifice civil rights leaders made to right the injustices in our history." More from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce6de171ef9c09e27483edf3d84cdce5122e12edf897ced02c0c51919bcc4291688ac40aba5ed022124f96fab76e8a9e

ETHICS COMMITTEE CLEARS NUNES - The House Ethics Committee announced Thursday it has cleared Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes in its investigation into whether he disclosed classified information to the White House, Jeremy Herb reports for CNN. The announcement could give Nunes an avenue to return to overseeing the panel's Russia probe. "I'm in charge. I was always in charge," he told Fox News on Thursday after the decision was announced. Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) took over the investigation earlier this year after the Ethics panel announced it was looking into Nunes. But Nunes has continued to have a hand in the investigation, angering Democrats. More from CNN:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce6de171ef9c09e288ae2976b7ada2f693d4c428f5f6212f226924fddc8b61870b5037b7d915cdce6bf116e41e08c9f4

SUNDAYS DOWN SOUTH - Several high-profile African American politicians are expected to campaign for Alabama Senate candidate Doug Jones this weekend as he makes a final push to turn out black voters. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick are all expected to stump for Jones this weekend, the Washington Post reports. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), who is coordinating the effort, "is also trying to cement plans for Rep. Cedric L. Richmond (D-La.) and Rep. Sanford D. Bishop Jr. (D-Ga.) to campaign" in Alabama in the coming days. The Senate election is next Tuesday. Sean Sullivan with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce6de171ef9c09e239333c93896b02a6251fb8d8110f7f842d633ba631e2713d2eab75a70b0187a48af5cef12ec82cf5

Related: Daniel Strauss interviewed Bob Vance, a Democrat and mild-mannered circuit court judge who almost beat Roy Moore in the state Supreme Court contest in 2012. "He's very divisive even within the Republican Party," Vance said of Moore. "I knew there were a lot of establishment Republicans who couldn't stomach Roy Moore." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce6de171ef9c09e23e0053464af40e8a9b54fe05b0fcb66fb1b87d24b157ba610bf7fc9bb124787238a1b81ec9ff4cc7

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House and Senate are out until next week.

THURSDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Christopher Schuler was first to guess that Montana Rep. Jeannette Rankin was the only lawmaker to vote in opposition to declaring war against Japan following the Pearl Harbor attack.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Christopher with today's question: What is the month (and year) that the most U.S. senators resigned and why? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess my way: hcaygle@politico.com.

GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning.


** A message from RetireSafe: When Medicare patients pickup their medicines at the pharmacy, the cost at the register is often higher than the drug's actual price. That's because deep manufacturer-negotiated discounts and rebates end up in the pockets of the middlemen and not the patients. CMS' new proposed rule for Medicare Part D is trying to fix this problem. Help Medicare patients pay less for their medicines and support the proposed rule. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce6de171ef9c09e2478874eec589bbed212c8090b3169e4eab481d3cbc729f557c52873f70849f07c82fe445b4ccec32 **

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