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04/14/2016 08:06 AM EDT


By Rachael Bade (Rbade@politico.com or @RachaelMBade)

With help from Eliza Collins.

MIKE LEE PROVOKES LEADERSHIP SHOWDOWN. Burgess Everett reports: "Mike Lee isn't backing down. The Utah senator faces a perilous path to getting the No. 4 job in party leadership that he covets: Majority Leader Mitch McConnell argues that internal party rules dictate that Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming can serve in the job until 2018. And there's substantial wariness within the caucus about an intraparty feud over future leadership elections, particularly while the GOP is pressing to hang onto its majority. Lee's gambit also could upset the party unity that has set in with the GOP Supreme Court blockade - and further his reputation as a conservative bomb-thrower. But Lee is pressing his case,
insisting that the position of Republican Policy Committee chairman is wide open for 2017..."

"The crux of Lee's latest challenge to the GOP's status quo is that McConnell is wrong to say that GOP precedent allows those leaders to serve until 2018. McConnell and Dove argue that the trio's partial term does not count toward a term limit of three, two-year terms, citing former Sen. Don Nickles's time serving as party whip for more than six years from 1996 until 2003. Lee sees things differently." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fb9cf08b4d555953dda109391b8b1607d258a5e62ac429408d732f6a73ab4518

KIRK GOES FULL RINO TO SAVE SENATE SEAT. Seung Min Kim and Burgess with another pop this a.m.: "Sen. Mark Kirk isn't just distancing himself from the rest of the GOP - he's fleeing from it. From the Supreme Court vacancy battle to gay rights to criminal justice reform, the moderate Illinois Republican is sounding more like a Democrat with each passing day as he fights to save his political life in an overwhelmingly blue state this fall..."

"Kirk's strategy is dictated by his home state's leftward bent: His Democratic challenger, Tammy Duckworth, may need to do little more than emphasize her party label to oust him in November. Kirk has long been considered the most endangered GOP incumbent in an awful year for Republican senators trying to get reelected. The party is defending 24 seats, and one of two divisive figures, Donald Trump or Ted Cruz, is likely to be leading its ticket." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fb9cf08b4d55595321950b60b6c5fcbc5793aabf6f2ac681f320dc455716aa47

TIBERI SIGNALING INTEREST IN SENATE RUN. Cleveland Plain Dealer in my home state (O-H!, I-O!): " Rep. Pat Tiberi is putting out signs that he's interested in running for U.S. Senate in 2018. Tiberi, a suburban Columbus Republican seeking a ninth term in Congress this year, sent out a news release Wednesday touting that his congressional campaign ended March with $3.9 million in the bank. The release conspicuously - and repeatedly - noted that his U.S. House campaign now has $1.2 million more than 2016 Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Ted Strickland's campaign. Tiberi's campaign also paid $38,500 to a polling firm last fall to conduct a statewide poll on his behalf... A spokeswoman for Tiberi
declined comment Wednesday." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fb9cf08b4d555953f97f66afa1aa0357e955ff6cad99ebf47bd6f7c37c703671

ALMOST FRIDAY. It's Thursday, April 14 2016. Thanks for reading Huddle, your tip sheet of all things Congress. We figured we'd start today out with a little politicking. Now on to the usual chatter on SCOTUS wars and the like. Keep it coming here: rbade@politico.com, or here @RachaelMBade

TODAY IN CONGRESS. First and last votes in the House expected between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Senate votes around 10:30 a.m.

** A message from Grant Thornton LLP: As business owners prepare for their tax filing deadline, many will ask, "Did I pay more than my competitors?" For a number of businesses, the answer is YES. Visit http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fb9cf08b4d5559534bfac82b15e4c6ecd45b79f26974a21496be19bc20423b12 for a tax policy that treats all businesses fairly. **

AROUND THE HILL. At 8:30 a.m. Senator Baldwin meets with SCOTUS nominee Chief Judge Merrick Garland. At 10 a.m., at the House Triangle, the following lawmakers will join gun violence victims and gun control advocates to counter a simultaneous gun lobby event being held across town this week: Sens. Blumenthal, Murphy and Markey and Reps. DeLauro, Speier and Esty. At 10:45 a.m. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi holds her weekly press conference and at 11:30 a.m. Speaker Ryan holds his.

At noon at the House Triangle, Rep. Frederica Wilson talks about the second anniversary of Boko Haram's kidnapping of Nigerian schoolgirls. At 1 p.m. Pelosi and House Democrats hold a steering committee hearing on war and poverty while at 1:30 p.m., at the House Triangle Rep. Goodlatte, talks tax reform. At 2 p.m. Sens. Murkowski and Sullivan and Rep. Don Young discuss medical transportation in King's Cove, Alaska. At 2:45 p.m., at the House Triangle, Reps. Walz, Moulton, Ashford, Gabbard and Duckworth will hold a media availability on the post 9-11 GI bill. At 3:30 p.m., Sen. Warren meets with SCOTUS nominee Chief Judge Merrick Garland.

SHOW ME DA MONEY - "Bulk of Ryan's fundraising haul in $50k-plus chunks." Jake Sherman reports: "Paul Ryan's massive $17-million fundraising haul this quarter was fueled by some of the nation's richest people and large corporate political action committees, which cut five- and six-figure checks to the speaker's burgeoning political operation, according to an election filing made public Wednesday. More than $9 million of Ryan's take in the first quarter of 2016 was from donors and PACs who cut checks larger than $50,000, according to a POLITICO analysis of the Team Ryan Federal Election Commission filing. For example, billionaire industrialist Charles Koch, the chairman and CEO of Koch
Industries, and his wife Elizabeth gave Ryan a total of $488,400 in March alone. Koch Industries PAC chipped in $71,000." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fb9cf08b4d5559535d285b7994f1b386774ba9552d2c5410c6dc0c45c39fd04d

Team Ryan says it also transferred over $11 million to the NRCC in the first quarter of 2016 - a record for a GOP speaker. The largest quarter transfer for Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to the NRCC was $7 million in 2012, we're told. "This puts the NRCC in a very strong financial position with Election Day just under seven months away," one birdie tells Huddle.

GOP MEETINGS WITH COURT NOMINEE MERRICK GARLAND CONTINUE, WITHOUT CHANGING MINDS. Siobhan Hughes for the Wall Street Journal: "The White House campaign to persuade Senate Republicans to go through the process of confirming Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland this year isn't changing any minds. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R., N.H.), one of the Republicans who has met with the Judge Garland, wrapped up her meeting on Wednesday without moving from her position that the confirmation process should wait until after the elections... Ms. Ayotte is joining other Republicans who are dashing the White House's hope of finding a way around the Senate blockade, set by House Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R.,
Ky.) in February immediately after Justice Antonin Scalia died." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fb9cf08b4d5559531b259bafade0ec4e326eaf0ae30cdb636eaff094beac4949

SO (DON'T) CALL ME, MAYBE. Despite the lack of movement, Democrats aren't giving up the SCOTUS push just yet. And on Wednesday, the DNC told supporters in an email blast that their thousands of calls to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on the matter forced the office to shut the phones off: "Last week, thousands of Democrats from across the country called Senate Republicans and demanded that they do their jobs and hold hearings to confirm Chief Judge Merrick Garland. Here's one fun fact: So many of you called Mitch McConnell that he had to shut down his phone lines due to the high volume of calls!"

DNC spokesman TJ Helmstetter writes in to Huddle: "6,520 people wrote back to us to confirm their calls. It's fair to say that many, many more made the calls."

But McConnell spokesman Don Steward tells us their claim that the office shut phones off is waaay off base. He snarked back: "When there are multiple callers at once, or when the office is closed, we have a recording that provides constituents with information on how they can contact the office. Every Senate office provides this information to their callers. But no, we have not unplugged the phones."

DAILY DOSE OF POLICY: HOUSE GOP WORKS ON LONG-AWAITED ACA ALTERNATIVE. Jennifer Haberkorn for Pro Health on the health care buzz around Capitol Hill: "House Republicans say they're edging closer to releasing an alternative to Obamacare, more than six years after President Barack Obama signed his health plan into law. On Wednesday, the House GOP health task force and several other interested rank-and-file Republicans met with conservative health policy experts to discuss the tax treatment of health plans - one of the biggest policy obstacles in any alternative to Obamacare. Medicaid was also discussed."

"It was the latest in an almost weekly series of listening sessions put together by the health task force established by Speaker Paul Ryan with a goal of releasing an alternative to the health care law before this summer's political conventions." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fb9cf08b4d5559533c667fae74e6a28c35e7f053ec0b37f967f0a40e7c7fea4f

SPOTTED: Sens. John Barrasso, John Boozman, Shelley Moore Capito, Chris Coons, Cory Gardner, Mike Lee, Pat Roberts, Tim Scott, Thom Tillis, and Roger Wicker and Reps. Austin Scott, Adrian Smith, Dan Newhouse, Tim Huelskamp, and James Clyburn. All were attending the 4-H posthumous recognition ceremony for Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney, who was killed in the Charleston Church shooting in June 2015. Pinckney's widow, Jennifer, accepted the award on his behalf at the National 4-H Council's Congressional Breakfast on the Hill, our birdie says.

TRANSITIONS: Another birdie: "Marcie Ridgway Kinzel returns to the Senate working for Sen. Steve Daines as strategic advisor and head of the bustling Daines' communications operation."

WEDNESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER: Rick Valentine of K&L Gates was the first to answer that Reagan nominated Richard Schweiker, his ex-running mate, to be Secretary of Health and Human Services.

TODAY'S TRIVIA: Comes from Tuesday's winner, Justin Arnold: Who was the last non-incumbent candidate to win no primaries and yet secure the nomination? Name the candidate, party and year. Email me: rbade@politico.com

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** A message from Grant Thornton LLP: Since 2013, pass-through owners have faced a potentially higher tax rate (39.6%) on their business income than their C corporation competitors (35%). This rate disparity puts pass-throughs at a competitive disadvantage and hinders U.S. investment, job creation and economic growth. In an ideal world, the same tax rates would apply to all business income, regardless of its form.

Visit http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fb9cf08b4d5559534bfac82b15e4c6ecd45b79f26974a21496be19bc20423b12 for a tax policy that treats businesses fairly.

(c) 2016 Grant Thornton LLP | All rights reserved | U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd **

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