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03/28/2018 08:01 AM EDT


By Nolan D. McCaskill (nmccaskill@politico.com or @NolanDMcCaskill)

MORE TAX CUTS? -- Another round of tax cuts could be on the horizon -- or at least an uncomfortable vote for vulnerable Senate Democrats up for reelection in states President Donald Trump won in 2016. Republican leaders are considering a series of votes to make last year's temporary tax cuts for individuals permanent. "The strategy would portray the party as the guardian of Americans' paychecks, Republicans say, and buoy the GOP during a brutal election year," Burgess and Rachael report. Republicans insist it's a win-win for the GOP.

"Either Democrats support the legislation, giving the GOP a major legislative accomplishment in its scramble to save its majorities," they write. "Or, more likely, Democrats block the bill -- allowing Republicans to paint them as opponents of the middle class." The effort appears to be purely political, as GOP leaders don't plan to pursue legislation using the reconciliation budget procedure to pass the measure with a simple majority like it did in December. "The gambit could put at least some swing-state and swing-district Democrats in an awkward spot," they add. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54e1d457b784d898620dcba6330d36c829962762a4864c0e126782986f0a05e90e9b0a4491f45293c1733f25c056d7f7

SENATE WOMEN WANT HARASSMENT VOTE -- All 22 female senators are pushing for leaders to overhaul the upper chamber's misconduct rules. The House approved its revamp of how Congress handles harassment and discrimination last month. But debate over whether to keep the House legislation's language holding lawmakers personally liable for discrimination settlements prevented its inclusion in last week's must-pass $1.3 trillion omnibus spending package. "As a result of the impasse, House-passed changes to Capitol Hill's office misconduct rules remain in limbo, awaiting Senate action," Elana reports.

Every female senator is lamenting the chamber's "inaction" in a joint letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) that warns that the chamber can no longer allow harassers to hide behind an outdated law. Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) spearheaded the letter. "Their letter also requests floor time on the issue, asking McConnell and Schumer to 'bring before the full Senate legislation that would update and strengthen the procedures available to survivors of sexual harassment and discrimination in congressional workplaces,'" Elana writes. "How soon the Senate will act, however, remains to be
seen." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54e1d457b784d89862552e3d1c770c4d9dc181fe48e82ee61c58c39b81c352665fce7cf35ec7c30db24434deab7b351a

Related: "Congresswoman To Paul Ryan: Make Blake Farenthold Repay $84,000 Sex Harassment Settlement," from HuffPost's Jennifer Bendery: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54e1d457b784d89816d07733f6a9f7a2954f924abdf41c3bf49a0c2f6441748cd3abfcafafbdf344d954572f2e619260

LITTLE RECOURSE FOR DEMS TO STOP CENSUS QUESTION -- Democrats' best chance to block the Census Bureau from including a controversial question about citizenship in its 2020 Census has already passed. "Democratic lawmakers, who stand to lose political power if undocumented immigrants decline to take part in the decennial survey, attacked the decision Tuesday, but there is little they can do to immediately counter the move," The Washington Post's Seung Min Kim and Tara Bahrampour report. "The massive spending bill lawmakers passed last week would have been the best chance the minority party had this year to try to block the Census Bureau from moving forward with its plan."

"The confrontation becomes another key factor hanging in the balance in the upcoming midterm elections, with Democrats gaining considerable leverage to scrap the census decision should they win control of either chamber," they write. Critics say a question about citizenship could limit response rates from undocumented immigrants who fear they could be deported, undercounting populations and potentially costing Democrats seats in Congress and electoral votes in presidential elections. "On Capitol Hill, Democrats were furious at the administration's decision but acknowledged that they had little recourse, for now, to kill the census move legislatively," they continue. "There are a handful of
Democratic bills circulating in Congress, but they stand almost no chance in the GOP-controlled chambers." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54e1d457b784d898acec76d736b3ae8a744567a5eaaffb0960662644c771faca4afc28b4431c149052ded86857c14b4c

Related reads: "Here's Why an Accurate Census Count Is So Important," via The New York Times' Jim Tankersley and Emily Baumgaertner: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54e1d457b784d898a326cc963d7b4208126e6c20b65158530ea63dd59e04622056abd7c3e51d4beab62b2879955494bd and "Trump's revenge on California: The Census," by David Siders: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54e1d457b784d898ca4107874096370fc1e2ebd7bfd43f3f11474113b3f99581cd4cf81b8bcec2f833e373229463ca15

HAPPY WEDNESDAY! Thanks for reading Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this March 28.

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TUESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Brent D. Griffiths and Andrew Restuccia's report on the Trump administration adding a controversial question about citizenship to the 2020 Census was the winner.

BUILD THE WALL ... WITH A MILITARY BUDGET? -- Candidate Trump publicly said Mexico would pay for his proposed border wall. But the president has privately pushed for the Pentagon to fund it. "After floating the notion to several advisers last week, Trump told House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) that the military should pay for the wall," The Washington Post's Josh Dawsey and Mike DeBonis report. "The Pentagon has plenty of money, but reprogramming it for a wall would require votes in Congress that the president does not seem to have."

A Pentagon official said it would require an act of Congress to take money from the department's 2018 budget, and to find the money in next year's defense budget would require Trump to submit a budget amendment that would require 60 votes for passage in the Senate. "Democrats in Congress would probably chafe at military spending going to the construction of a border wall, and military officials may also blanch," they write. "Defense hawks in the Republican ranks would balk at taking money now dedicated to the Pentagon for aircraft, weapons and improvements to the armed forces' readiness and instead steering it toward construction of the wall." More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54e1d457b784d898933ea21d4b604cbf36c1db9d230ecd8191e5f4683e090f42c4bd727b9873cd5406080b7557232c71

TILLIS, COONS URGE TRUMP TO BACK OFF MUELLER -- Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) banded together on Tuesday to insist in a joint statement that special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation continue "without impediment." "Notably, the two senators defended the rationale behind their bill [to protect Mueller's job] but put the onus on Trump to let Mueller continue rather than demand congressional leadership take up their legislation," Elana reports. Nine of the 10 Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats later sent letters to five DOJ officials seeking "a written and public commitment" to not interfere in the probe. The officials would take on a key role in overseeing the
Mueller investigation if Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was fired or resigned. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54e1d457b784d898501f5cff46f13ad5d0f70d25cc9b895598fc7b7a0f48972d3e6ba22aa93aa82bcf04a5aa82967d8b

Related Russia read: "FBI doubles number of staffers dedicated to complying with GOP's Clinton requests," by Kyle: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54e1d457b784d898b68eb8c544da20a4e0cb5b17621edb2faf94661c8eeaadc8d591c4285173ed5552fca75551b3065d

ZUCKERBERG EXPECTED TO TESTIFY NEXT MONTH -- Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the comings weeks. The hearing could come on April 12, but a spokeswoman said a hearing date remains in flux. "Multiple congressional committees have invited Zuckerberg to appear in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal," Ashley Gold reports. "Facebook is under heavy scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators in the U.S. and abroad amid reports that the Trump-linked data firm secretly accessed and misused data from 50 million Facebook users." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54e1d457b784d898f1a053f7a87f3eaa4378bd86ed3855e0d730e510010b01ac002613348cbdc624ac0540d510485aed

Related: "Watch out, Zuckerberg -- Congress is a trap," from Nancy Scola and Steven Overly: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54e1d457b784d898131029de2282f8f97dade38a6a023a73a2401df4980c6a031176c6203ed1a5e5fb36f29c8e2e0e8b and "Facebook tweaks privacy tools as data controversy rages," by Nancy Scola: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54e1d457b784d898e690559e927b80f04521e59578eeb17f8a3ea0bc26a6b115c7f648f9fe992ab3c1c2527b9af5fc85

HASPEL SAYS SHE'D FOLLOW THE LAW, IF CONFIRMED -- Deputy CIA Director Gina Haspel, Trump's nominee to lead the agency, is working behind the scenes to win over lawmakers. "Haspel, who is under scrutiny because of her past oversight of a CIA 'black site' in Thailand, has told senators over the past two weeks that she understands waterboarding is illegal and that she would follow the law if confirmed," CNN's Manu Raju, Jeremy Herb and Jenna McLaughlin report. "She has also distanced herself from the destruction of CIA tapings of harsh interrogations, saying she didn't order the tapes to be destroyed... And she has argued that the post 9/11 mindset in the CIA and federal laws over
interrogation tactics are far different today."

Sources tell CNN it's part of an effort to explain Haspel's ties to the Bush-era detention and interrogation program. "The campaign could prove crucial in determining whether Haspel will advance to one of the premier positions in American intelligence, and make history if she were to become the first woman to lead the CIA," the write. "But none of that will be possible if Haspel doesn't win at least some Democratic votes. The math will be tough, though it's too early to suggest her nomination is imperiled, GOP sources say. Several moderate Democrats up for re-election this fall in states Trump won have signaled an openness to her nomination." More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54e1d457b784d8981b8711602fa523b8dc70de1bf1043e121a1c976687415bec1d67f89f2a53da5f8c26146d04462f27

SCOTUS TO CONSIDER LIMITS ON GERRYMANDERING -- The Supreme Court will examine whether Democrats improperly retaliated against GOP voters in Maryland by altering district lines to beat a Republican congressman. "It's the second such case currently before the high court, which last year heard arguments over Wisconsin's GOP-drawn state legislative map," Steven Shepard reports. "Taken together, the two cases raise the prospect the court could soon put limits on how far the parties can go in redistricting -- and could erase some of the decade's most egregious political maps." Republicans are in control of the redistricting process in more states than Democrats, so a ruling placing restrictions
on political considerations would likely boost Democrats. Much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54e1d457b784d898a586a72ee16ca7c9b7900c94f86a4fa08cadc18c647f315049e54d69a3d684d90bea63ac8d499850

MENENDEZ LAUNCHING REELECTION CAMPAIGN -- New Jersey's most powerful Democrats will join Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) as he kicks off his reelection campaign today. "The senator will likely face a well-funded challenger in November: former pharmaceutical executive Bob Hugin, who is expected to spend tens of millions of dollars from his own pocket," Matt Friedman reports. "Menendez -- a 12-year incumbent -- plans a 10 a.m. rally in Union City, where both he and Hugin grew up. He'll be accompanied by Gov. Phil Murphy, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and 'prominent New Jersey Democrats,' according to an advisory from his campaign. He'll follow that up with a 2 p.m. rally at Rowan College at Gloucester
County with state Senate President Stephen Sweeney and other local Democrats." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54e1d457b784d898b572c5aa8d856ddab5fb1ecde4812b4d1bc5d2757d0253b6f5d76b19e1b62e17c7acf80d195c32b4

POLITICO'S TOP SENATE RACES -- North Dakota got Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) to challenge Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) after all, Florida Gov. Rick Scott is poised to run against Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Danny Tarkanian has abandoned his primary challenge to Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.). "But lest the GOP get its hopes up, there have been warning signs to counter the encouraging news," Kevin Robillard reports. "Though the map tilts Republican, the overall political environment remains very friendly to Democrats."

"Many of their swing-state incumbents are socking away cash for the general election, while Republicans in states like West Virginia and Indiana continue to beat each other up and squander money in increasingly brutal primary contests," he continues. "Plus, the party is starting to believe it has a shot in two open seats in deep-red states in the South, with a strong recruit creating hope in Tennessee and a complicated special election giving them hope in Mississippi." POLITICO's latest Senate rankings: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54e1d457b784d8986956c7f574b888958cd373a515e6b2402992084372febbad7ad88d0936bcbb7572983778ed3a26ff

Related reads: "Pence laces into North Dakota Sen. Heitkamp at private event," from NBC's Jonathan Allen: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54e1d457b784d89887bf9b6e6e1a5707a5aab29c329f333a4a184efb1d7a2536511cfd197f6d185cdeee755a0175d947 "Heitkamp: People don't fully appreciate Second Amendment," per Reena Flores: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54e1d457b784d898a47edd50fa324a3e0e637c70ba678f9cbe97097931200619a3e775ce141ee84ebc1a16595a863675 "Obama will appear at McCaskill fundraiser in Beverly Hills," by David Siders: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54e1d457b784d8984e1e652575b36c6e72c34710538e7f703284c32b465d47a2ae01a055841529930665c1328fcd9c9d and "Rubio: 'I don't campaign against Bill Nelson,'" via Matt Dixon: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54e1d457b784d898901924efcbef6076e41ea1858e08b3ab1a473f020f2ddb9197a5c865bba4a75fd43e981065fac858

VETS POWER DEMS' 2018 HOPES -- A certain of type of candidate is surging this year. "Veterans who are Democrats are vying for Congress in numbers not seen in decades," Michael Kruse reports. One "cross-partisan" group approximates 300 veterans are running this cycle. "While the perception might exist that most veterans lean Republican, some 51 percent of the veterans who are or have been 2018 candidates, based on With Honor's tally, are actually Democrats," Kruse notes. "And some are proving to be competitive in places once considered safe GOP districts. ... Backed by members of Congress like Representative Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and organizations like VoteVets and New Politics, this roster
of aspirants is a key to Democrats reclaiming control of the House of Representatives in November's midterms, party strategists believe." Much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54e1d457b784d898d5813d52ec576cb66b2c1725fd7a5a0e3f85265c7e1170aa5a8e937dfe2962f31c018d0cfc0bbb2d

TRANSITIONS -- Drew Holden has joined Rational 360 as a senior associate. He previously served as a legislative assistant for Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.).

Alexa Papadopoulos has joined the office of Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) as its press secretary.

TODAY IN CONGRESS -- The House and Senate are out.

TUESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER -- Eli Schechner was first to correctly guess that Gerald Ford is the last House leader to serve as president. He served as House minority leader before becoming vice president and later president.

TODAY'S TRIVIA -- A former U.S. lawmaker was the nephew-in-law of a foreign dictator. Name the lawmaker and the dictator. The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess my way: nmccaskill@politico.com.

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