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11/22/2016 07:59 AM EDT


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

With assists from Seung Min Kim and Burgess Everett

GLORY DAYS- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is trying to remind her caucus of the glory days, when they were vaulted to the majority in 2006 and who helped get them there-her. In an interview with Bres, Pelosi, facing a long-shot challenge from Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, said President-elect Donald Trump can provide just the ammo for a Democratic House majority, something they haven't seen since they were trounced by Republicans in 2010. "I'm not asking anyone to support me for what I have done, one thing or another, whether it's politics or policy or money," she told Bres. "I'm asking them to support me on what I will do in the future."

But it's unclear how well her argument will sit with caucus members given that relying too much on Trump is what got them here in the first place. For months, Democratic leaders including Pelosi had been predicting double-digit gains in the House, running heavily on an anti-Trump platform. Pelosi even gave Trump his own unique moniker, repeatedly calling him "the gift that keeps on giving" to Democrats. And then, after months of big promises, Democrats only picked up six seats, setting off a wave of unrest in the caucus.

Some changes are coming: Pelosi is agreeing to some changes pushed by junior Democrats who feel like they don't have a say in caucus decisions. She's "planning on remaking the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, giving more members a say in the Democratic messaging operation, and appointing 'vice-chairs' on committees to, give lower-ranking lawmakers additional input," Bres reports.

Some of those changes were highlighted in a "Dear Colleague" letter Pelosi sent out Monday, but it's unclear if that's enough to satisfy the younger members who have long felt frustrated by the centralized power structure in the caucus. Members have also called for more say over who runs the Steering and Policy Committee, which makes key decisions about committee assignments, but Pelosi didn't address that in her letter.

Ain't sweating ya: Pelosi didn't mention Ryan once during the 30-minute interview. But Ryan said he believes at least half of the caucus is up for grabs, despite Pelosi's claims that she already has support from two-thirds of lawmakers. "We're not twisting any arms, we're not making people feel bad. We're just saying it's 'gut-check time' for the Democratic Caucus," Ryan told Bres. Read the full story: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=905da41a7e265d0bfd0409df20964d33e9f0ffd531855198190931f22c96c3a0

CAN THE SENATE KEEP UP? The House is planning to add work days and slash some days off next year to accommodate a new Republican president, but we wonder: Can the world's greatest deliberative body match them? In an interview with Burgess, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas), who sets the schedule, said the chamber will do its best: "We're going to be pretty busy. That's why we're going to start Jan. 3. I expect us to be very busy, given the opportunity we've been presented and the procedural difficulties of moving things through the Senate.

"You're going to see us really leaning forward," Cornyn said. So, does that mean we will have to work Fridays? "You're going to have to be here," he replied. A couple GOP aides cautioned against predicting too much Friday activity, but if Washington is serious about grinding it out, it's hard to see the Monday evening to midday Thursday schedule surviving.

TWO DAYS 'TIL TURKEY. Welcome to Tuesday, Nov. 22. Thanks for reading POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill. Your favorite morning tipsheet will be taking a break for turkey (and gravy and stuffing and green bean casserole and pumpkin pie) on Thanksgiving and Friday, Nov. 25. But don't worry, we'll be back at it Monday, Nov. 28.

MONDAY'S MOST CLICKED- The overwhelming winner was Rachael and Bres' story about the House Republican roadmap for the upcoming year.

TODAY IN CONGRESS- The Senate meets in a pro forma session at 11 a.m. The House will meet in a pro forma session at 2:30 p.m.

WILL HE OR WON'T HE? Rep. Keith Ellison dodged questions Monday about whether he'd resign from Congress if he's elected DNC chairman. "Asked by Mark Halperin on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' about giving up the seat for the chairmanship post, Ellison allowed that 'that's a fair conversation' but declined on commit to it," Madeline Conway reports. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=905da41a7e265d0b2b3a00ab98cc9dfaa0f8bd74e10d5c510c4e7d2a0a4ec4a8

HATCH TALKS UP IMMIGRATION UNDER TRUMP - Against all odds, at least one Senate Republican is feeling pretty good about the chances of overhauling immigration law: Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, who is already seeking to influence President-elect Donald Trump on the highly charged issue. The senior Republican spoke to reporters on a conference call with a group of Utah-based immigration advocates organized by New American Economy, the pro-reform group backed by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other top business officials.

On the call, Hatch outlined three key immigration priorities for him: enforcing security measures by using "cutting edge technology" and biometric systems to track visa overstays and illegal entries; overhauling the process for admitting high-skilled immigrants to come to the United States, and a functioning guest-worker program for agriculture and construction workers.

Not listed among Hatch's priorities: what to do with the estimated 11 million immigrants here illegally. But Hatch did vote in favor of the Gang of Eight comprehensive immigration reform measure, which included a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants currently in the country.

A NEW THANKSGIVING TRADITION- Looking for ways to spice up the traditional Turkey Day fare? The Senate Republican Conference is out with a short, Thanksgiving-themed video showing how to make the chamber's famous bean soup. Watch: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0d7f609dc2dddfff3d09f59a228e5f10bb7e387f2fb236c00b88c9673e58a242

TRANSITION WATCH: SECRETARY GABBARD? Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is under "serious consideration" for various cabinet posts after meeting with Trump on Monday. "The 35-year-old Hawaii congresswoman is being looked as a candidate for secretary of state, secretary of defense or United Nations ambassador. If selected, Gabbard will be the first woman as well as the youngest pick for Trump's Cabinet," reports Shushannah Walshe for ABC News. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=905da41a7e265d0b9f309adeea9935f4808558e75d41a6d232fec99f2f415994

LET'S PUT A PAUSE ON THAT- With Trump coming into the White House, the "House of Representatives on Monday asked the Federal Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to temporarily pause the House lawsuit challenging an Obamacare subsidy program," Jennifer Haberkorn reports. If the court approves the request, the move "could allow the incoming Trump administration to swiftly unwind the Affordable Care Act's exchanges." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0d7f609dc2dddfffec7eacdfbcbc6b449863e11116cbf101de44ab6c706dfc56

REPUBLICANS HAVE A "BIG" PROBLEM- Sometimes, you can have too much of a good thing. Republicans say they'll finally be able to tackle tax reform next year but the big question remains: How far do they go? "Some Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, want to lower individual and corporate tax rates at the same time," reports the Hill's Alexander Bolton this morning.

"But rewriting the entire tax code - something that hasn't been done since 1986 - would be a massive and risky undertaking, even with unified Republican control of Washington. Limiting the effort to the corporate code would have much higher odds of success." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0d7f609dc2dddfffe7b30183681e5a7f36b276bb7482ee0d05a2909ff97dd69c

Related: Trump lays out the plan for his first 100 days in office, where he talks about a slew of executive actions he wants to take but doesn't mention any big items that would require lawmakers' help (like tax reform). Watch: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0d7f609dc2dddffff1a7aee6b6e42cef45fd2c69a5c1c7a4ced195f0ee7f15ba

CONGRATS Y'ALL- Alleigh Marré, NRSC national press secretary, and Zack Roday, Speaker Ryan's press secretary, got engaged during a morning run in Alexandria on Friday, Playbook reports this morning. The pair met on Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's campaign. See the pic: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0d7f609dc2dddfff55654bd5d962ffe33d0bff0186e5fea33bac08c71cd61a03

MONDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER- Stacey Goers was the first to correctly guess that Rep. Chris Stewart co-wrote "My Story" with Elizabeth Smart.

TODAY'S TRIVIA- Stacey with today's question: With all of the holiday travel this week, which member of Congress introduced the Pets on Trains Act, which was incorporated into the highway bill last December, and what is the name and breed of the dog that inspired the bill? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in tomorrow's Huddle.

Have your own Congress or D.C.-themed trivia questions you'd like to see in Huddle? Send them my way: hcaygle@politico.com

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