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02/08/2016 08:32 AM EDT


By Seung Min Kim (skim@politico.com or @seungminkim)

THE BUDGET WARS: IT'S ON - President Obama's final budget blueprint isn't officially out until tomorrow, but the fiscal wars are already in full force. The Republican backlash against Obama's proposed $10-per-barrel oil tax was well-documented last week, and the two leaders of the House and Senate Budget Committees are refusing to let the Obama administration testify on its budget - a significant break with tradition that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called "insulting."

--The White House quickly jumped on the Republican non-invite, arguing that chairmen Tom Price and Mike Enzi essentially pulled a "Donald Trump." Sarah Wheaton has more for POLITICO: "White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Republicans' refusal to play ball was just as bad as Trump's refusal to take part in the last GOP debate after getting into a nasty spat with Fox News."

--"'They're just not going to show up," Earnest said during the daily briefing, adding that the maneuver smacked of a 'Donald Trump approach' to the debate over spending priorities. He then accused the GOP committee leaders of being wobbly knee'd, saying the boycott 'raises some questions about how confident they are about the kinds of arguments that they could make.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0cc2fb42c688ebb2bd0640a7418c74534440eb24e145a84d32152f44d9098d9f

OBAMA'S NEW ZIKA REQUEST - Hot off the presses this morning, the White House is seeking more than $1.8 billion from Congress to prevent any major outbreaks of the Zika virus. The breakdowns: $1.48 billion for Health and Human Services, with the biggest chunk going to the CDC; $335 million for USAID; and $41 million for the State Department.

--Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell will brief senators on the administration's Zika response later this week.

MEANWHILE, ON DEFENSE ... -- Republicans are seizing on a seeming about-face by Obama on military weapons that the president once derided as a waste but is now defending. POLITICO's defense trio of Austin Wright, Jeremy Herb and Connor O'Brien explain: "The turnabout is causing a major credibility problem for the Defense Department ahead of Tuesday's release of the president's new budget proposal, key lawmakers told POLITICO. Republican defense hawks spent the last year opposing the department's efforts to retire the aging A-10 Warthog attack jet and stop buying Tomahawk missiles and F-18 Super Hornet fighters - the very weapons getting praise now from Defense Secretary Ash Carter."

--"Rep. Mac Thornberry and Sen. John McCain, who chair the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, are already gloating over what they see as a small victory in their larger battle with Obama over military spending. 'I think it harms their credibility because they're changing positions,' said McCain. 'It's also, I think, an argument for congressional action.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0cc2fb42c688ebb27cd3418ca5bedbc96dc7ac64716cee2723389116f2e35fad

PAUL RYAN'S BUDGET SQUEEZE - The fiscal fights aren't relegated just to ones between the White House and the GOP-controlled Congress. Scott Wong writes about the squeeze that Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) faces in trying to complete a budget this year: "Conservatives are revolting against the higher spending levels President Obama and GOP leaders agreed to last fall, and the Wisconsin Republican is being squeezed by a tight calendar: A longer than usual summer recess to accommodate the political conventions means the House is looking to complete its budget in early March."

--"A budget blueprint that falls shy of conservative spending targets could expose lawmakers to attacks from outside groups and top GOP presidential candidates like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) ... 'It's a credibility issue, and at some point if we are going to gain or garner that trust back from voters, if we say we are going to hold the line [on spending], then we've got to do it,' said freshman Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.) ... That RSC members like Walker are contemplating opposing the fiscal 2017 budget is giving the GOP leaders some serious heartburn, a leadership source said." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0cc2fb42c688ebb2eb774a410348694d91acee1e9aad21e6bc58d9265f6add9b

--Huddle question: Is this another "first test" for Ryan?

--One tantalizing reason for Republicans to complete a budget this year: reconciliation. Steven Dennis reports for Bloomberg on how the GOP is exploring whether they would be able to preserve the filibuster-proof powers into the next Congress: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=689cc88fd31e0d611e040676b471acaf659fc554e16d452ebd430ac5a2bddf91

--And Morning Consult's Will Dobbs-Allsopp talks to Senate Republicans up for reelection in 2016, and finds that some are pretty much -\_(\u30c4)_/- on doing a budget this year: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=689cc88fd31e0d61775ceb1ee38b3394e9a2c603bb828bd08f7f67c0004ac4c3

TRANSITIONS - Kirtan Mehta, legislative director and chief counsel for Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), will begin a new job as senior vice president for congressional relations for the American Bankers Association on Feb. 22. "Kirtan's wealth of experience and proven track record will be extremely valuable as we work to educate lawmakers about banking's most important issues," said James Ballentine, the group's executive vice president of congressional relations and political affairs.

Laura Brooks, communications manager for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, wrapped up her Capitol Hill tenure on Friday. In her farewell note, she included this note from Happy Chandler, the former Kentucky governor, senator and MLB commissioner: "I never met a Kentuckian who wasn't either thinking about going home or actually going home."

** Sponsored by ACAP, the Association for Community Affiliated Plans: The Association for Community Affiliated Plans believes that families with low incomes deserve coverage they can count on. Ask your member of Congress to fight "churn" in Medicaid and CHIP by cosponsoring H.R. 700 / S.428, the Stabilize Medicaid and CHIP Coverage Act. For more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=689cc88fd31e0d611a19f28a9f22149efd2e0b05e3b15326ef1aaaf5ff2c1026 **

HAPPY MONDAY, Feb. 8, 2016 and welcome to the Huddle. I have nothing creative to write in this space today, so I'll take suggestions for how to fill this slot tomorrow (or just any congressional news, tips, and the like) at skim@politico.com. As always, please follow me on Twitter at @seungminkim.

My new followers include @SenatorBurr and @RepDianaDeGette.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House is out. The Senate is in at 2 p.m. and will vote to confirm Rebecca Ebinger as a federal judge in Iowa at 5:30 p.m.

AROUND THE HILL - Quiet.

CORKER PUSHES FOR NORTH KOREA SANCTIONS - From the Foreign Relations chair's op-ed for CNN: "The North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act of 2016, which we expect to become law in the coming weeks, will provide the executive branch with a more robust set of policy tools to confront the threat posed by the rogue regime in Pyongyang. And while there is no 'silver bullet' solution to the North Korea policy challenge, the United States must undertake a more proactive approach toward North Korea to address its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and human rights abuses against its own people." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=689cc88fd31e0d61ff4bc1b849153ed8a8bc3c7f1509eef2668b83be90e8b13f

--The Senate is scheduled to vote on the North Korea sanctions bill on Wednesday.

LANKFORD CALLS FOR FILIBUSTER OVERHAUL - The freshman senator, part of a group examining potential rules changes in the Senate, pens an op-ed for the Washington Post: "We should change Senate rules for the voting threshold to begin debate on any bill with a simple majority, while allowing the consideration of more amendments and multiple bills during the same period of time. Rather than falling back on rules that duck debate or avoid difficult votes, the Senate could operate under the expectation that both will occur. This will allow the Senate to continue to function despite areas of passionate disagreement in an open process." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=689cc88fd31e0d618038716bf0c364c5f1255e774e9484c9cb9a7d47384adc2a

SCHUMER, THE 2016 GOP-ERS TOP PARTNER - Paul Kane for WaPo: "The Republicans running for president this year have tried to turn Sen. Charles E. Schumer's name into a slur on the campaign trail, but nearly all have, at one time or another, needed to embrace the Democratic power broker from New York as an ally. From Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz on the boisterous right end of the stage, to Govs. Chris Christie and John Kasich on the mainstream flank, almost all of the Republicans have leaned on Schumer for his legislative and political acumen over the past 20 years."

--"Most famously, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) dove into the 'Gang of Eight' negotiations on a sweeping immigration proposal that his opponents now deride as the "Rubio-Schumer amnesty" plan. Trump is a longtime donor to the fellow New Yorker and even hosted Schumer at his Palm Beach club. Kasich (Ohio) worked with Schumer on a mid-1990s deficit proposal. Cruz and Schumer shook hands on a 2014 deal to block an Iranian appointment to the United Nations. And Christie (N.J.) used Schumer as a key player in lining up a more than $50 billion relief package for the New Jersey and New York coastlines." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=689cc88fd31e0d61dd03c726ab43d4875be276e9a95064bc3ff754db368cf999

SWALWELL, KILDEE GET STEERING COMMITTEE BOOST - POLITICO's Lauren French: "Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has elevated two sophomores on the influential Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. The California Democrat has promoted Rep. Eric Swalwell, also of California, to vice chair of the panel and added Michigan Rep. Dan Kildee to the leadership committee."

--"Members of the Democratic Steering Committee often are considered de facto members of senior leadership within the House ranks. The panel helps pick who serves on House committees ... The panel also helps House Democrats push their agenda while in the minority." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=689cc88fd31e0d61b62052947404a62ab96d17f81a67357c276248fd6c87d018

FRIDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - This is the big day for Kirtan Mehta in Huddle: He was the first person to correctly answer that Henry Cabot Lodge, in 1964, was the only person to win the New Hampshire primary as a write-in candidate. And a shout-out to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who also chimed in with the correct answer.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Pegged to last night's big game: Which current senator had refused to shave his beard until last night's Super Bowl? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day's Huddle. E-mail skim@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=689cc88fd31e0d61d9cae8b3d6b101cf55ecdfd7b652504139936dc32a46a325

** Sponsored by ACAP, the Association for Community Affiliated Plans: Let's fight "churn" in Medicaid and CHIP. Every year, beneficiaries are disenrolled and reenrolled in these programs owing to red tape, or small and often temporary changes in income, sometimes from getting a few hours' overtime in a workweek. This "churn" leads to interruptions in care, worse health outcomes, and higher health care costs. Ask your member of Congress to cosponsor H.R. 700 / S. 428, the Stabilize Medicaid and CHIP Coverage Act, which addresses churn. For more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=689cc88fd31e0d611a19f28a9f22149efd2e0b05e3b15326ef1aaaf5ff2c1026 **


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