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06/23/2017 08:00 AM EDT


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

HOW McCONNELL PLANS TO REPEAL OBAMACARE - After Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) rolled out the GOP's long-awaited Obamacare repeal Thursday, one thing was clear: In order to pass the bill, the Kentucky Republican must find a way to swing the proposal more right without losing a core group of Senate moderates at the same time. The task is a tall order, to say the least. But for all the Republicans on the fence who came into office vowing to repeal the 2010 law, "it's time to put up or shut up," said the party's chief vote counter, John Cornyn of Texas.

Burgess with more on the majority leader's plan: "McConnell's strategy has been a slow burn, allowing his members to vent in private party discussions while gradually writing a bill that takes in their considerations over the past six weeks. He's had more than 30 meetings with his members about taking down the 2010 health law, intended to give his members more input and get them comfortable with the product," Burgess reports.

'We'll get to 50': "He believes that given the amount of input we've had from everybody, we'll get to 50. Because everybody's had a seat at the table," said Sen. John Thune (S.D.), No. 3 in GOP leadership. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e4406654f7e4325a6ccec1a222e646abf4e4c5edbcd72537b7a09c60ba38b276fad186339482f1d6f05eca9de7443395b2be22732a8b289

WHIP COUNT - McConnell is pushing for a vote next Thursday, before Congress leaves for a week-long holiday recess. But the majority leader is still far shy of the 50 votes he'll need for passage. "Conservatives, moderates and senators from Medicaid expansion states all remained on the fence" after Thursday's meeting, Adam Cancryn, Burgess and Jen Haberkorn report.

Who to watch: Conservative Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas), Ron Johnson (Wis.), Mike Lee (Utah) and Rand Paul (Ky.), who all said Thursday they're not ready to back the measure; Senators from Medicaid-expansion states like Sens. Rob Portman (Ohio), Dean Heller (Nevada) and Shelley Moore Capito (W.V.). And moderates like Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine), who oppose efforts to defund Planned Parenthood. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e4406654f7e432588b5a51410226848ed64b06344dc43acac9f91fcf12a7381362ae4197dc9af9709ebd70d1720227495891e9bcafb528f

Winners and losers in the Senate GOP bill, via Politico Pro's health care team: Winners include the wealthy, young and healthy people and GOP governors who have spent years fighting against Obamacare. The losers in the deal are poor, older people who need insurance, people struggling with addiction and public health agencies. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e4406654f7e4325878fb087f1df0ad614d0c016fe84a418bf2819302d8d2615610987ec035e563ea23b5699176093bb75a86daf511f1094


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NOW TALK IT OUT - House Republicans huddle this morning before votes to try and unite behind a budget and agree on how to handle funding the government beyond September, issues that have been bitterly dividing the caucus for weeks. Republicans emerged from a closed-door meeting Wednesday having made little progress with festering disagreements starting to pit members against one another. Defense hawks want billions more in Pentagon funding while conservatives are pushing for welfare cuts. Get smart fast, via Rachael, Sarah Ferris and Connor O'Brien: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e4406654f7e43259c7f55d7bfde17774a5f5ebc19367ff6247fbf41707e6e283d0fa37eb2cc0dd8109b6feb1adc740684ad141959b830bd

PELOSI DEFIANT, MOCKS CRITICS - Nancy Pelosi was defiant on Thursday, saying she has no plans to step down as minority leader anytime soon, despite calls from some rank-and-file Democrats for new leadership and at least one meeting to plot to replace her. "I respect any opinion that my members have, but my decision about how long I stay is not up to them," Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters during her weekly news conference, adding she's a "master legislator" whose leadership "is recognized by many around the country."

Pelosi even taunted fellow Democrats like Reps. Kathleen Rice (N.Y.) and Tim Ryan (Ohio), who challenged her in November and have been on TV this week saying she should go. "I think I'm worth the trouble, quite frankly. I love the fray," Pelosi said. "When it comes to personal ambition and having fun on TV, have your fun. I love the arena, I thrive on competition." Your Huddle host and Bres report: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e4406654f7e4325e3f605de344323daec010eae35f5e97b77b62494d7f8f2ce03987d012fc8497e1b5a143e6013b70209a0372255a19f3e

Meanwhile, a group of a dozen Democrats including Rice, Ryan, CBC Chairman Cedric Richmond (La.) and Rep. Tony Cardenas (Calif.), a member of Democratic leadership, met Thursday to discuss ousting the long-time leader. While no decisions were made - and an actual challenge to Pelosi is a (very) long shot - Rice left the meeting saying the group plans to continue discussions. "There are many more people today, even from November, who are much more vocal, who have approached us and said, 'I'm done. We need to move forward and we need to get a new leadership team in place,'" Rice said. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e4406654f7e432522e7b23ef16549ac3e5e8b4304f7cb2874870ec6d224d9277eef9dd9e6924fd0ecfabaa2d5e4d08f0505bb1fcd1566ed

FRIDAY, FRIDAY, FRIDAY. Welcome to June 23 and thanks for reading POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill.

THURSDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Burgess, Jen Haberkorn and Adam Cancryn's story about the Senate GOP's Obamacare repeal meeting brought the clicks.

RING THE ALARM - "The Senate Judiciary Committee is plowing ahead with confirmation hearings for two of President Donald Trump's nominees to the federal courts next week, almost certainly without formal ratings from the American Bar Association - a move infuriating Democrats who say the nonpartisan group needs more time to rate Trump's judicial candidates," Seung Min scoops. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e4406654f7e43250608e696b7c4cacacbf7d42fc3dc7ad1eb23d1d435cedc012ce164a7206c1bbb7fdea3bdf03d61f589cfdf1c50b345cb

THE CLINTON CAMPAIGN LIVES ON - John Podesta, Hillary Clinton's campaign manager whose email account was famously hacked and publicized in the run up to the election, will be interviewed by the House Intelligence Committee next week, CNN reports. "The committee sent out requests to interview six witnesses this week, sources said, with Podesta expected to be interviewed next week in a classified session," write Manu Raju and Tom LoBianco. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e4406654f7e432549e6ebe58068767b3819906257e6cde6e5defb618cba86adda516bc4f6ef2a8b4fb41c19b7a0168bc4d66864c6905071

STAY TUNED - Top administration officials and congressional leaders are already telegraphing that the tax reform package they hope to move this fall will largely be written among themselves behind closed doors, much like the Senate's Obamacare repeal effort, Bernie Becker and Aaron Lorenzo report this morning. "While many griped about the secrecy surrounding the health legislation, few rank-and-file Republicans seem to be objecting to that approach on tax reform ... 'Everybody wants a bill written in a big room with a lot of cameras. That's not the way any legislation around here happens,' said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e4406654f7e432595bcbf110ff7127b4227313e09ba419dce1dd8b4e644e2246f7d3f0faa2dcc405c54117bedcdcc71155c0c397f3c0d90

DISABILITY PROTESTERS FORCIBLY REMOVED - More than 40 disability advocates protesting outside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office Thursday were arrested, with some people in wheelchairs being forcibly removed by Capitol Police. The group was protesting cuts to Medicaid in the GOP's Obamacare repeal effort. "One protester who was in a wheelchair held a sign reading 'life and liberty 4 disabled Americans.'" Time's Jennifer Calfas reports, with video: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e4406654f7e4325d5ee38a1f344ec8302baafaa6bf96c4997768e960585dc109001ec840d2367092cf3db47354683b2f6e89892667e8ad7

HEY, HEY, IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY - Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) turned 84 on Thursday and was feted by her fellow Judiciary Committee leader Chuck Grassley. The Iowa Republican surprised her during a Judiciary hearing with a birthday cake decorated with Stanford University's emblem (Feinstein's alma mater). "Happy birthday to Senator Feinstein, leader of the democrats on the Judiciary Committee. She's someone I enjoy working with," Grassley captioned his Instagram photo. Grassley is not far behind-- he will celebrate his 84th birthday in September.

NEWS YOU CAN USE - After shocking footage surfaced earlier this year of an older man being forcibly dragged off a United Airlines flight, Congress has decided to do something about it. "Transportation leaders in both chambers unveiled a slew of new consumer protections in must-pass aviation bills this week, including language that would prohibit airlines from involuntarily removing customers from a flight after they have already boarded the plane," Melanie Zanona reports for the Hill. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e4406654f7e4325ba9e1b9d62e6526fd066160ced6b140e42a2f901c522bf7b80eb1cafbe95f73aee695c58493a0287bc60f4669b60aa19

CAPITOL POLICE FUNDING BOOST - A House Appropriations subcommittee will mark up a funding bill this morning that would boost Capitol Police funding following last week's shooting in Alexandria. "Under the measure, the Capitol Police would receive $422.5 million, a more than 7 percent increase over current spending levels. Within that total, nearly $348 million would go to salaries, including up to $45 million for overtime," Jen Scholtes reports for Pros. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e4406654f7e43259852dd75cd2210e6162a43a5eba8ae0153dce92104e7489715dff1a3f987df3d3af3c23455005d1a7f420030a9bc823c

ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES - Today is Daisy Letendre's last day on Capitol Hill as communications director for Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.). On Monday she starts at the EPA as a senior policy and communications adviser. Mitch Hailstone is moving to Capitol Hill soon to work as communications director for Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.). He currently works at CRC Public Relations.

NERDCAST PODCAST - The most closely watched House race ever is over, and Republican Karen Handel came out the victor over Democrat Jon Ossoff. POLITICO's Scott Bland, Charlie Mahtesian, Eliana Johnson and Nancy Cook break down Georgia's special election and the resulting discontent with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi among some Democrats. Plus, POLITICO Pulse Check host Dan Diamond joined to walk through what's in the Senate GOP health care bill and which factions will push the bill in different directions in the days to come. Listen and subscribe: iTunes | Panoply | Stitcher

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House meets at 9 a.m. with last votes of the week around 11 a.m. Today's agenda: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e4406654f7e4325353f04fda423cc3c1ae98040b322d6cdb3b1d4c470e31bb1d752de75676d67495e2afda4bafeb119f1b71b5cd0c7e0c5 The Senate is out until Monday.

AROUND THE HILL - Reps. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.) and Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) hold a press conference on the Senate GOP's Obamacare repeal bill in HVC Studio B at 9:45 a.m.

THURSDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Claude Marx was the first to ping Dwight D. Eisenhower as the mystery president with the major illnesses. Eisenhower moved to Gettysburg, Pa., after leaving the White House and his presidential library is in Abilene, Kansas.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Claude with today's question: Eisenhower was born in Texas but grew up in Kansas. How many presidents were born or went to go college in Kansas? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send answers my way: hcaygle@politico.com

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