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By Burgess Everett | 12/02/2015 07:30 AM EDT


Featuring Seung Min Kim

REPEAL WILL HIT CAMPAIGN TRAIL: The unity exercise of repealing Obamacare in the Senate will come with a price for vulnerable GOP incumbents -- lots and lots of Democratic attacks next year over gutting Medicaid expansion. The ad writes itself: Sen. X voted just last year to take away health insurance from tens of thousands of constituents. And there are a lot of targets: There are 20 GOP senators representing states that have expanded Medicaid, and half of those senators are up for reelection. And GOP House members who are vying to fill open Senate seats could also face attack ads if they vote for the package. "To take it away could cause chaos. So to let ideology overcome practicality is
not very good for those senators," said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). It "could be a good issue for us."

Race by race: Expect a localized Democratic strategy in states like New Hampshire, where Gov. Maggie Hassan is leading the efforts to reauthorize Medicaid expansion and Sen. Kelly Ayotte will vote to phase it out -- if she votes yes. As Democratic N.H. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen put it: "Those who vote against Medicaid expansion ... do it at the peril of it becoming an issue in the campaign. Because I can tell you, if I were running, I'd make it an issue." But Republicans say this is already baked into the cake: The GOP has already voted to repeal Obamacare repeatedly, so what's one more time? "Every one of us has voted to repeal Obamacare. So what Obamacare has done every election cycle is voters
have been reminded of how much they hate Obamacare," said Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e0718a560724b2bd72e819595c4191d45e323d7106fe766c8f00755975cea9c7

Sooooo close: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is right at the edge of getting 51 votes, but moderates and conservatives are playing hard to get. Sen. Ted Cruz won't say how he will vote and neither will Sen. Susan Collins. Seung Min and Jen Haberkorn have the whip count: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e0718a560724b2bd3b48d89dd866874d5684539076a41e18f0c18dcbf97ddee9

'NANCY? IT'S PAUL': At least that's how I imagine the call going. House Speaker Paul Ryan dialed up Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday hoping to spur Congress to get a move on the omnibus spending bill due in just nine days. Jake and Bres on the 30-minute phoner: "Ryan told Pelosi that Democrats would be receiving an offer from the GOP in the next day or so, and that it should be viewed as having the Republican leadership's stamp of approval, according to multiple sources involved in the talks. House Democrats received the offer Tuesday evening, and top Democratic aides were evaluating the package to see how much negotiating was left." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e0718a560724b2bd569af2f8d7c57c89fce23fbed6a6862a21cd68e402d24e2e

DEMS ANGRY AT MCCONNELL: Frank Thorp has been all over the Zadroga 9/11 Health & Compensation Act, and he's got the scoop on the tension between Senate leaders over its exclusion from the highway bill. "Aides familiar with the negotiations say that Senator McConnell asked that the highway bill also lift the US ban on oil exports, and when that was not agreed to he stopped the Zadroga Act from being included in the five-year highway legislation. 'I believe that Senator McConnell was using this as a negotiating position-give us something, we'll give you help for the 9/11 rescue workers," Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) told reporters ... McConnell's office denies the Majority Leader
is blocking anything, saying 'There's still no final bill to object to,' and claiming that Senator Durbin is 'misinformed.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e0718a560724b2bd88d871779cb8d991d7791d2ca4df7511a094b2cb3b721256

Flake chides McConnell on ambassador: In an unusual plea to the leader of his own party, GOP Sen. Jeff Flake is urging Senate McConnell to hold a vote this month over the objections of Sen. Marco Rubio to confirm President Barack Obama's pick to be the next ambassador to Mexico. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e0718a560724b2bdc5c028ba2c1ac4c29486ad0cfa6b3cda4ef0829cf790b12a | Flake's letter to the leader: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e0718a560724b2bddcfb1fdc35ca062341b27c59bf88f8b0edbd3aed714967d5

BLUE SLIPPIN': After months and months of getting bashed by Democrats and questioned by elite judicial noms reporter Jen Bendery, Pat Toomey has finally turned in his blue slips for four district court judges that were nominated in July, we are told by Someone That Knows Things. The Pennsylvania senator has been in a tough spot as his leadership has slowed confirmation of new judges to a crawl, but by putting in his paperwork now, the Judiciary Committee could theoretically now process the judges before the end of the year. Still no word on Luis Felipe Restrepo, a Circuit Court nominee for Pennsylvania who passed committee in July.

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IT'S WEDNESDAY, December 2, 2015 and welcome to the Huddle, where Roger Wicker appears to have a new job: Flacking for Susan Collins. "You're asking her about her favorability ratings?" the NRSC chair asked reporters who were trying to ask Collins about Obamacare on Tuesday. The ever-polite Mainer simply responds: "He's my publicist."

Please send tips to beverett@politico.com and follow along on Twitter @burgessev. Complaints go right in the trash.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The Senate is in at 9:30 a.m. and we are expecting some votes to kick off budget reconciliation later in the day. The House is in at 10 a.m. and will begin voting a bit after 1 p.m. as the chamber works on the transportation conference and the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act.

AROUND THE HILL - At 10:45 a.m. Rep. Nydia Velazquez leads a presser on the Puerto Rico Day of Action on the House Triangle. At 2 p.m. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi leads a hearing on prescription drug prices. At 4:30 p.m. House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce hosts the Israeli minister of defense in H-139. At 5 p.m. Speaker Paul Ryan leads the Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on the West Front.

McCarthy media watch: The GOP leader's press office has you covered this a.m. If you missed the "Morning Joe" segment.

"7:15AM - MSNBC MORNING JOE

7:30AM - CNN NEW DAY WITH ALISYN CAMEROTA

7:45AM - FOX BUSINESS MARIA BARTIROMO

8:40AM - FOX NEWS WITH BILL HEMMER"

TUESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: It was Jake's story about Congress *gasp* passing bills that was moving big units yesterday.

BOOZING AND LEGISLATING: Gonna go ahead and say peeps are downplaying their drinking habits, I've seen you people in action. "According to a survey of congressional staff, nearly half, or 47 percent, of staffers attend social events for work either once or twice a week ... most are keeping it under three drinks, with 44 percent having just one drink, and 33 percent having two or three drinks. Twenty-two percent said they did not drink any alcohol at such events. Only two respondents admitted having more than four drinks at work events." Roll Call's Rebecca Gale: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e0718a560724b2bd772a93bdf471ac8b846a0ee365941523bb9983c7340e453b

'Lay off the crack, it will rot your teeth:' Rebecca also reports on the arduous journey of Hill staffer Natasha Guynes, now working on a nonprofit. There are hundreds of inspiring and stereotype-busting stories in the Capitol, and this one's worth a read: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e0718a560724b2bd0c234a3dbe903afa9eab26864d0e4209aedb4a0d822e152f

RUDE RETURN: President Barack Obama's climate plans received a rebuke literally while he was flying back to Washington from the Paris talks on Tuesday. "Republicans voted to block his climate policies with a pair of resolutions in Congress. The largely symbolic votes were designed to embarrass the Mr Obama following his two day trip to the Paris climate talks - and to signal to the rest of the world that the US is far more divided on climate change than he had let on. The resolutions - which passed by 242-180 and 235-188 late on Tuesday - express official disapproval of Mr Obama's plans to cut carbon dioxide emissions from both existing and new power plants, the centerpiece of his Paris
commitments to curb greenhouse gases." Financial Times: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e0718a560724b2bdf003c89725b133e8f81f36120ff7363f53659c926e3246b3

SPEEDING TOWARD THE FINISH: Because there weren't a ton of mid-negotiation fireworks, the successful highway conference is flying a bit below the radar. But dang if it isn't a big deal to get a five-year highway bill. Heather Caygle and Lauren Gardner explain how the drama was, as always, in how to pay for this stuff: "Negotiators said they begrudgingly swallowed many of the pay-fors, including a plan to dig into the Federal Reserve's pockets to the tune of billions of dollars and a separate idea to funnel revenue from a customs fee levied on airline and cruise passengers to the highway fund." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e0718a560724b2bd14892aa18de1e427cb0cc8cb6786e295bb3fb5a7512fd65b

GOP LEADERS STRUGGLE WITH TRUMP: Whenever J-Mart is on the Hill I know he's got something like this cooking. "In states with some of the most competitive Senate contests, the concern is palpable, especially after weeks in which Mr. Trump has made a new series of inflammatory statements. 'If he carries this message into the general election in Ohio, we'll hand this election to Hillary Clinton - and then try to salvage the rest of the ticket,' said Matt Borges, chairman of the Republican Party there, where Senator Rob Portman is facing a competitive re-election." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e0718a560724b2bd6260e98f7f375d61d526c4e80c3d56975b1cd584ce960441

GRAYSON CAMPAIGN RUNS OFF RAILS: If your job on Capitol Hill isn't stressing you out enough, you could go work for Rep. Alan Grayson's insurgent Senate campaign in Florida. Plenty of vacancies, per Kevin Robillard and Marc Caputo: "Grayson's campaign manager, deputy campaign manager, and senior adviser are leaving their jobs in the Democratic congressman's troubled Florida Senate campaign ... 'People who don't know 'Grayson World' are shocked by how difficult it is to work for him,' said one longtime Grayson supporter familiar with the campaign shakeup. 'Alan is a micromanager who doesn't empower staff.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e0718a560724b2bdb051a1a34d902beb2b542025b141e57aca950c2f33737ea3

CONSERVATIVES PAN CAMPAIGN FINANCE CHANGE: "McConnell is trying to attach a provision to the om­ni­bus spending bill that would allow party groups, such as the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee, to spend unlimited sums in coordination with party nominees ... Members of the House Freedom Caucus, however, are arguing that the measure is an attempt by the GOP establishment to consolidate power to box out candidates who do not toe the party line, and they are making it one of their top targets in negotiations over must-pass spending legislation." Dan Newhauser and Sarah Mimms of NJ: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e0718a560724b2bd945e7d1d51050c33aa66f6c85c9073fc49516bbc2c693f5d

URGENT BEARD UPDATE: Five days into his beard, Sen. Ben Sasse ditched it, citing poor results. But hold on! Sen. Ron Johnson is still going strong even after cracking weeks ago that he's "not much of a man." Granted, it's more of a goatee, but since Sen. Tom Coburn left the Senate and took his famous winter beard with him, I will take what I can get.

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TUESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Kirtan Mehta was the first to answer that President Andrew Jackson vetoed funds for the Maysville Road due to a grudge against Henry Clay.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Mitch McConnell writes in with today's question: "In 1862 President Lincoln appointed his campaign manager David Davis to the Supreme Court. When Davis retired, President Rutherford B. Hayes similarly appointed a man who had helped him get the 1876 GOP nomination at the Cincinnati Convention, Kentucky's John Marshall Harlan. However Harlan originally went to the convention to get the presidential nomination for his former law partner. Who was his original candidate?" The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day's Huddle and one free amendment vote. Email me at beverett@politico.com

GET HUDDLE emailed to your Blackberry, iPhone or other mobile device each morning. Just enter your email address where it says "Sign Up." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e0718a560724b2bdb43c512e3011217875ca1849fa4fe4e76450d61d790341ce

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