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09/06/2017 07:55 AM EDT


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

HARVEY AID VOTE TODAY - The House will vote today on a nearly $8 billion emergency spending package for Hurricane Harvey victims, the first down payment on a bill that could end up costing north of $100 billion in the end. The aid package will likely pass with overwhelming support but the real drama comes with what happens next: Senate GOP leaders are expected to attach a debt ceiling increase to the disaster relief bill, with hopes of sending it back to the House for approval and to President Donald Trump's desk by Sunday.

But... Conservatives including Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and members of the House Freedom Caucus are already vowing to fight the idea, saying any debt ceiling increase should be coupled with spending cuts, Burgess and Rachael report. Even some members of Speaker Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) deputy whip team let out an audible groan when informed of the plan Tuesday night.

The White House weighs in: Trump is expected to endorse the idea of attaching a debit ceiling increase to the Harvey aid package sometime today, Rachael, Josh Dawsey and Kyle report. GOP leaders hope Trump's endorsement of the plan will quell at least some of the conservative opposition and give them cover to push through what's a very unpopular idea with their right flank. OMB Director Mick Mulvaney will also brief Senate Republicans during their caucus lunch today.

Top administration officials plan to pressure lawmakers by telling them that the debt ceiling must be raised in tandem or else aid to Harvey victims might be slowed. FEMA is quickly burning through cash and has said it will run out of money as soon as Friday. In addition, Hurricane Irma is still threatening to barrel into Florida later this week and could cause catastrophic damage, putting further pressure on Congress to act.


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BIG FOUR HEAD TO THE WHITE HOUSE - Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will huddle with Trump at the White House at 11 a.m. Pelosi said Tuesday she hopes to get clarity from the president on how he wants to handle all of the looming deadlines facing Congress, including funding the government and providing additional Harvey aid later this month. "We have so many things that are happening. We have to just see how we can contain this," she said.

CONGRESS CLUELESS ON DACA FIX - Congressional leaders are also struggling with a path forward on saving Dreamers from deportation after Trump announced plans to terminate the DACA program in six months. House Republicans hope to push the immigration battle to this winter. And Democrats have said they want to see a stand-alone DACA fix this month, something top GOP leaders have already ruled out. "There's no way," Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas said of taking up Dreamer legislation in September or as a stand-alone bill. Seung Min, Rachael and your Huddle host with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=41a717b8722bb2b6f7d81ac67feee0b050e1432853dd3ea73707d7a12e504cd3dacb4f419159c655a91692154a93ba2c8ff91ec05eb3b359

Democrats, who have leverage here, aren't showing any signs yet of trying to flex their muscle and demand a DACA fix in exchange for Democratic votes to raise the debt ceiling or pass a short-term funding bill. "I'm going to keep my powder pretty dry at this point in time," House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer said. What about a Dem push to attach DACA to must-pass legislation this month? "I don't know if that's a reality, frankly," Pelosi told reporters Tuesday.

Related: Republicans plan to pass a three-month funding bill, keeping the government open until December and punting a fight over the border wall until then, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Tuesday. If congressional leaders push off a DACA fix until later this year, it could get wrapped up in December funding negotiations.

And then there's this, from last night: @realDonaldTrump: "Congress now has 6 months to legalize DACA (something the Obama Administration was unable to do). If they can't, I will revisit this issue!"

SENATORS TO FORCE TRUMP ON CHARLOTTESVILLE - A bipartisan group of senators will introduce a resolution later today that would force Trump to officially go on the record condemning the deadly Charlottesville white supremacist rallies, Seung Min reports this morning. Virginia Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, both Democrats, along with Republican Sens. Cory Gardner of Colorado and Johnny Isakson of Georgia will introduce their measure as a joint resolution - as opposed to a nonbinding resolution - meaning it will be sent to Trump to sign into law. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=41a717b8722bb2b68f9a5eaadcca3db81285e3d6d7ba92f1b1f5ba22c932edf279154aa338df3206149b740c62e2c7113067013e7aaf43f6

YUP, WE'VE MADE IT TO WEDNESDAY ALREADY. Welcome to Sept. 6 and thanks for tuning in to POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill.

TUESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: My story on what's next for Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) was the winner our first day back.

MENENDEZ TRIAL STARTS TODAY - Sen. Bob Menendez's felony corruption trial kicks off today in Newark, and as Bres points out, there are huge implications for the Senate if the New Jersey Democrat is found guilty. If Menendez is convicted and resigns before Gov. Chris Christie leaves office in late January, Christie would appoint his replacement - likely a Republican. On the flip side, Democrat Phil Murphy is widely expected to be New Jersey's next governor, and Murphy would name a Democrat to the post. "In a post-Merrick Garland world ... there is less willingness for Democrats to roll over on this issue," Bres reports. More on what you need to know ahead of today:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=41a717b8722bb2b68de37d236a3ea14ff32167b7c72d1a1ce89bdfc37d416fd52f24b2f22b6bfecdb744cc0e5e44d9e4d278e8c1b4eba0d2

'Once a corruption fighter, Menendez now set to stand trial on bribery charges,' via Ryan Hutchins: "As a 20-something political upstart in New Jersey, Robert Menendez sat in a witness box in federal court - so fearful of retribution he wore a bullet-proof vest - and pointed a finger at his political mentor: William V. Musto, the mayor of Union City. ... This time, the senior senator from New Jersey is the one facing accusations, charged with bribery in a case that could end his career and land him in prison." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=41a717b8722bb2b68316441224d847ff27d45a204291927013700b4677862f11890e20fcd8e3a489f3ad71db8f544acffdfc16a9410b3218

NORTH KOREA BRIEFINGS TODAY - Top Trump administration officials will be on the Hill later today to brief lawmakers on North Korea as the country continues to escalate its threats towards the U.S. Meanwhile, "a day after predicting 'global catastrophe' if North Korea's nuclear tests lead to anything other than talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the situation may be 'impossible' to resolve." CNN's Hilary Whiteman with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=41a717b8722bb2b6e756ba52002cfdbd56672a42465ba6e7cc5af9785eecca165b1c84f7eaf674798080ca102632812464220214688240d4

CAN I CATCH A RIDE? Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp will join Trump on Air Force One today as he travels to North Dakota to talk up the GOP's tax reform push. Heitkamp's presence means Trump is unlikely to target the North Dakota senator in his remarks, unlike his attacks on Sen. Claire McCaskill in Missouri last week. Burgess: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=41a717b8722bb2b61ed28916fb4bd9a21ddf998442ab0f565b521e2c426153a8755a2fa5a7c451770d743af4d4decdd5d720fa01b634eaea

Tweet du jour: @SeungMinKim: [Sen. John] McCain on Trump targeting McCaskill re: tax last week: "He went after a Democrat? Ooh, I'm astonished. I thought he goes after Republicans."

TRUMP JR. ON THE HILL THIS WEEK - Donald Trump Jr. will be on the Hill Thursday for a closed-door interview with the Senate Judiciary Committee about his controversial meeting with a Russian lawyer last year. Members of the Judiciary panel still hope to interview Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner - who have already spoken to Senate Intelligence Committee staff - about the meeting. Intel Chairman Richard Burr said Tuesday it is his "aspirational goal" to have his panel wrap up its Russia investigation and release its findings by the end of the year. The panel's top Democrat, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, later dismissed that timeline. The Washington Post's Karoun Demirjian reports:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=41a717b8722bb2b64a27a8407179c49520c9db9a3d01c290b10638d9fa9dfdf3511873d8dd5ba7ba522013e3b9892937341601b2261ba0dd

Related: The House Intel Committee subpoenaed the FBI and DOJ for documents related to the Trump dossier, Byron York reports for the Washington Examiner. Read more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=41a717b8722bb2b6930ddde036b8311dbd33c5e3f5d163f0deab419b9703872802131e3b6bc8500dcb3cdf67d8942506f1894df4950c2684

BABY, GIVE ME ONE MORE CHANCE - Trump and his allies are still hoping for one last Obamacare repeal vote this month before Republicans lose the chance to pass a bill using a simple majority under budget reconciliation. "The president and White House staff have continued to work with Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana over the summer on their proposal to block grant federal health care funding to the states," Burgess and Dawsey report. But with a full slate of must-do items in September, the odds of an Obamacare repeal vote are slim to say the least. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=41a717b8722bb2b6d9e8f388b5d497ed60e1ab813e0a4b20d86abf43ce90e1f62479badd3724ca4a08c9b086af579448a0d2e212c7006116

CUMMINGS RETURNS NEXT WEEK - Rep. Elijah Cummings, top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, will return to Congress next week after being home for months recovering from a heart procedure. "This caused me to stop, pause and look at my life," Cummings told the Baltimore Sun. John Fritze with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=41a717b8722bb2b6a823822bd91c966d6f49e0d81eb71400572d5d6d028d47989eaa53368d9f9d9b7e6bb8085b11be86df3285367a64e3a1

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House meets at 10 a.m. with first votes (including the Harvey disaster recovery package) around 12 p.m. and last votes around 10 p.m. Today's agenda: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=41a717b8722bb2b68f8728b81eb4f1799edf6bb99aaec87a6c18fc300bb396391ef6c885ac670315defe1fb64fec500760f28db3577b3e18 The Senate meets at 10 a.m. with no roll call votes currently scheduled. The Senate will recess for party lunches from 12:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.

AROUND THE HILL - Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), GOP Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas) take questions from reporters after the GOP conference meeting at 10 a.m. in HC-8.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democrats hold a 10 a.m. press conference in the Rayburn Room (H-207) calling on GOP leaders to bring the Dream Act up for a vote.

McMorris Rogers and the Texas delegation will hold a press conference immediately after the Harvey aid vote in HVC Studio A (timing around noon).

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Reps. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), John Yarmuth (D-Ky.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) hold a 2:30 p.m. press conference in the House triangle calling on GOP leaders to raise the 2018 spending caps.

ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES - Ed Kim has joined Rep. Michael Burgess' (R-Texas) office as a senior health policy adviser. Ed previous worked for Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) and former Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.). Danielle Varallo started this week as communications director for the Republican Main Street Partnership. She previously worked for UnitedHealth, former Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and the NRCC. Maddy Weast is leaving the Washington Free Beacon to work as press secretary for Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).

TUESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Kirtan Mehta was first to guess that Sen. Bob Packwood, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee during the 1986 tax reform push, later resigned after facing several sexual harassment claims. Rep. Dan Rostenkowski (D-Ill.), then chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, also later resigned after being charged with mail fraud related to the House post office scandal.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Brad Fitch from the Congressional Management Foundation: Facing a variety of Russia-related investigations, White House aides could be bracing for significant legal bills. However, this aide who served President Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal avoided being ensnared by lawyers and depositions after learning his lesson a decade earlier when the lawmaker he worked for was caught up in the Abscam scandal. Who was this aide and who was the member he worked for? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess my way: hcaygle@politico.com

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