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01/26/2017 07:52 AM EDT


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

With assists from Burgess Everett, Rachael Bade and Daniel Lippman

CHARM OFFENSIVE - President Donald Trump heads to Philadelphia today to huddle with Hill Republicans, just one day after the new president signed a series of executive actions on immigration that surprised many GOP lawmakers and overshadowed any headlines Republican leaders were hoping to make at the retreat. In his speech today, Trump will focus on pursuing an aggressive agenda, particularly on health care and overhauling the tax code, Matthew Nussbaum reports. Vice President Mike Pence will also be on hand.

-Also on tap today: British Prime Minister Theresa May will meet with Republicans. And thousands of protesters, dozens of whom were already gathering Wednesday night outside the Philadelphia hotel where GOP lawmakers are staying, plan to march during Trump's visit, Kyle reports.

House Speaker Paul Ryan laid out his own aggressive timeline on the first day of the retreat, a wish list that has lawmakers repealing and replacing Obamacare by April, funding Trump's Mexico-U.S. border wall shortly after and approving a tax overhaul package by August. But Ryan dismissed the idea of a sweeping tax package that isn't paid for, a proposal some Trump administration officials and Hill Republicans had been warming up to recently. Rachael with more on Ryan's ambitious agenda: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6a50f8ebdf27296375abc112dbcef24a5a96c3d8fe4e89acbd0bb7fb2370e381

Trump's executive orders Wednesday included actions jumpstarting the border wall with Mexico and directing significant resources toward quicker deportations for undocumented immigrants, Seung Min Kim, Eli Stokols and Louis Nelson report. Trump says Mexico will eventually pay for the cost of constructing the wall (a double-digit billion dollar price tag) but Mexico President Enrique Peña has insisted his country will not fund the barrier. Peña is supposed to meet with Trump next week.

In the meantime, U.S. taxpayers will cover the cost of the wall, which could cost up to $14 billion, Speaker Ryan said on MSNBC last night. "First off, we're going to pay for it and front the money," Ryan told Greta Van Susteren. GOP leaders are considering a plan to pay for the border using a supplemental appropriations bill, Ryan told lawmakers. CNN's Tom LoBianco, Manu Raju and Ted Barrett: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4de5d2870b937568e6b6328761d024dc755c19955e64c688a4e18e2650cd4aab

But Trump's flashy executive actions, while pleasing to supporters, could soon run aground given that the White House doesn't consult with many of the lawmakers and federal agencies necessary to their success, Isaac Arnsdorf, Josh Dawsey and Seung Min report. "And at a conference in Philadelphia, GOP legislators say they had no idea whether some of the executive orders would contrast with existing laws - because they hadn't reviewed them." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4de5d2870b93756807332cdd582d4c9170d18d1cbd25cca228703c6c554bf4bc

DOWN WITH THE FILIBUSTER! (OR NOT) - After Speaker Ryan presented his ambitious legislative agenda Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tried to inject a little reality by reminding the room that the Senate can't move as fast as the House and will need Democratic support for most legislation. Some House Republicans pressed McConnell on the issue, urging him to change the Senate rules and nix the filibuster, "a nuclear option the tradition-bound McConnell is loath to deploy," Rachael and Burgess report. At one point, McConnell told pushy House Republicans to tune into C-SPAN next week to see how hard the Senate is working.

Quote du jour: "Some of my colleagues in the House spend a considerable amount of time complaining about the Senate and the Senate rules," said Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.). "All I know is if senators came over to the House and started complaining about our rules we'd consider it a human rights violation." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4de5d2870b937568937e0341d579919ac4901080e2bd4784259b328482b6821d

SENATORS WARN TRUMP: NO RETURN TO TORTURE - A bipartisan group of senators is warning Trump there is no way they'll allow the administration to return to George W. Bush-era torture techniques for war prisoners after a draft memo insinuating as much made the rounds in Washington earlier this week. "The president can sign whatever executive orders he likes," said GOP Sen. John McCain, who was tortured as a prisoner during the Vietnam War. "But the law is the law. We are not bringing back torture in the United States of America."

Several other lawmakers also condemned the idea Wednesday. And both Defense Secretary James Mattis and CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who have denounced such tactics, were "blindsided" by the memo, Austin Wright reports. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4de5d2870b9375680e0d19deaca10aecde91fa08969f87747a30567a847d0a7e

FIRST IN HUDDLE: CBC WRITES TO TRUMP - Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Cedric Richmond and founding CBC Rep. John Conyers have fired off a letter to Trump demanding any "major investigation" into voter fraud be conducted by an independent panel. "If you insist on conducting an investigation of these issues, we would request that it be performed by an independent and non-partisan body, and that it be fully transparent," they write. The CBC leaders are also urging any investigation be accompanied by a probe into voter suppression tactics across the country, especially after the Supreme Court rolled back key tenets of the Voting Rights Act in 2013. Read the letter:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4de5d2870b9375684f070a1ee660566a9ce6794271e34b582089e4bbfaf72f48

DUDE, WHERE'S MY WEEKEND? Welcome to Thursday, Jan. 26. Thanks for reading POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill.

WEDNESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Not surprisingly, Sen. Chuck Grassley's sideways Instagram pic of Sen. Mark Warner and Education secretary nominee Betsy DeVos was the winner.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House and Senate aren't in session due to the GOP retreat.


TALKING TO PEOPLE, IN 3 EASY STEPS - While Republicans are keeping press access very restricted in Philadelphia, Senate Democrats aren't even allowing the media at their retreat this week. In the meantime, they're holding sessions on how to talk to (and hopefully woo) Trump voters, according to a draft schedule obtained by Burgess. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=26820902a06318db7f4af40e59f5c6157a8e215d78d5ddc5002b47da7d5c7fae

HOUSE INTEL LAUNCHES RUSSIA PROBE - The House Intelligence Committee will look into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, the panel's leaders announced in a bipartisan statement Wednesday. The declaration is an about-face from a couple of weeks ago when Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes told Huddle he had no plans to investigate those claims. "House committees don't go operational like that, that I know of," Nunes told Huddle at the time, calling it "a law enforcement issue."

The Senate Intelligence Committee is also looking into possible links between the Trump campaign and Russia, but only after Democrats on the committee threatened rebellion after chairman Richard Burr initially said the panel wouldn't investigate the issue. Austin Wright with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=26820902a06318db0b63da738b38fd911c70020cc9b2495c0682ac43bd0a6a5b

TEXAS TWO-STEPPING TOWARD SENATE RUN - Texas Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro said he plans to make a decision by the end of spring on whether to challenge GOP Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018. Castro said he was still on the fence during a BuzzFeed Brews event Wednesday night, but it sounded like he has already made up his mind. "The thing about Sen. Cruz is that since he got to the Senate, he really has not spent a single day working on behalf of the people of Texas," Castro told BuzzFeed's Tarini Parti. "There's no question it would be a tough race and he would have a lot of money."

HOUSE LEADERS SILENT ON GABBARD MEETING - Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during her secret trip to the war-ravaged country last week. "Whatever you think about President Assad, the fact is that he is the president of Syria," Gabbard told CNN's Jake Tapper Wednesday. "In order for any possibility of a viable peace agreement to occur, there has to be a conversation with him." So far Hill leaders have been silent on Gabbard's trip, which she took without giving leadership any kind of advanced warning. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi refused to answer questions on the topic when pressed by Huddle Wednesday and Speaker Ryan's office hasn't returned
requests for comment.

TWEET DU JOUR: South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham had the perfect comeback to a satirical article from the Onion titled, "Lindsey Graham Cowers Behind Tree Trunk As Trump's Hunting Dogs Close In." @LindseyGrahamSC: Mainstream media misses scoop of the year - @TheOnion nails it. I won't go down w/out a fight. Seeking Asylum in Ecuador. #alternativefacts

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES - Recently retired NASCAR driver Carl Edwards isn't ruling out a challenge to Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill in 2018. "I believe firmly in the principles that the U.S. was founded upon," Edwards, who abruptly retired from racing two weeks ago, texted to the AP. "If I could help, I definitely would consider it." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=26820902a06318db890dfd4376fdc374ab5378cfcc731e8eba742209e2f78487

SPOTTED, GOP RETREAT EDITION - Having evening drinks at the Bank and Bourbon in Philadelphia: Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, Ted Cruz, Bill Cassidy, Thom Tillis, Mike Rounds and Ron Johnson

-Behind the scenes, day one: Rep. Martha McSally sang the national anthem during a closed-door dinner for Republicans Wednesday. A source inside the room described her singing as "impressive." And professional auctioneer Rep. Billy Long used his vocal skills to auction off what time Catholic mass would start Thursday morning.

THURSDAY SPEED READ: The NRA is ratcheting up pressure on red-state Democrats to back Jeff Sessions for attorney general, Maggie Severns and John Bresnahan report; House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz says he's looking into Trump's D.C. hotel lease after conflict-of-interest concerns, Kyle reports; Conservative group 45Committee launches a $1 million ad buy to boost HHS nominee Tom Price, from Alex Isenstadt; And Sen. Elizabeth Warren defends her vote for HUD secretary nominee Ben Carson amid liberal ire, Elana writes.

JENKINS RETIRING SETS OFF SCRAMBLE- Kansas Rep. Lynn Jenkins won't run for re-election in 2018, she announced Wednesday. The five-term Republican also ruled out a potential gubernatorial bid, saying she doesn't plan to seek "any office in 2018." "Names mentioned for Jenkins' 2nd District by Kansas operatives included: state Attorney General Derek Schmidt, Secretary of State Kris Kobach, former Rep. Tim Huelskamp (who lost his primary in the neighboring 1st District in 2016), state Sen. Jake Laturner and state Sen. Dennis Pyle," Elena Schneider reports.

"But a number of GOP candidates are already considering campaigns for CIA Director Mike Pompeo's 4th District, from which he resigned earlier this week. There will be an April 11 special election to fill the vacancy, but no primary - local GOP officials will select the nominee at a district convention within 25 days." More for Pros: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4c40498560f8869fddaa856af3e3305fb2d6ef373beffba651fedb6090b185be

SWAG BAGS - Republican lawmakers received an interesting gift when they descended upon the City of Brotherly Love Wednesday: socks with Trump's face on them. The socks depict Trump "as a cartoon-like caricature seeming to yell, 'You're fired!' A note tucked into the top reads: 'Starting on the right foot for the 115th Congress!'" Rachael reports. Rep. Jason Smith supplied the socks, which were part of a larger welcome bag that also included Mardi Gras cakes from House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and taffy from Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers. See the Trump socks: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=222629debed941996e49e9d1d5185a983e696374352ae6ac366df7b498ba441d

WELCOME TO THE WORLD - Courtney Temple, newly promoted legislative director for Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), recently welcomed Porter James Temple, who arrived a strong 8 lbs. Pic: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=222629debed941995be2342e954f99103e598e9360f00cb2e247f02f7881df27

WEDNESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Eli Schechner was the first to correctly guess that 10 senators were formally expelled in 1861 for supporting the confederacy. (Technically 11 senators were expelled but one censure, for Sen. William Sebastian, was posthumously reversed.)

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Kip Eideberg with today's question: Which president has issued the most executive orders and how many were there? The first person to correctly answer gets a shout out tomorrow. Send suggestions for trivia questions my way: hcaygle@politico.com

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