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03/11/2016 08:16 AM EDT


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

SENATE PASSES SWEEPING ANTI-DRUG BILL - The New York Times' Jennifer Steinhauer: "Responding to a drug crisis that has contributed to more American deaths than car crashes, the Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a broad drug treatment and prevention bill, the largest of its kind since a law in 2008 that mandated insurance coverage for addiction treatment. 'This is big and significant,' said Marvin Ventrell, the executive director of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers. 'It had legs and interest because of the opioid crisis that has hit Middle America.'"

--"The bill, which passed 94 to 1, is a boon for Republican senators in swing states, which have been hit particularly hard by the drug crisis. Senators Rob Portman of Ohio and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, both Republicans, spent weeks promoting the measure on the floor after seeing opioid-related crime and addiction soar in their states. ... 'This is a strong signal that the United States Congress now gets this issue,' Mr. Portman said in a news conference after the vote." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da91ef0fe885dcc143fe4ef3fd21efd4e4454921f8571f441691738e5ffc514b

SENATE GETS GOING ON SZUBIN NOM - All that had to happen was for the committee chairman to win his primary. Andy Taylor for the AP: "The Senate Banking Committee on Thursday approved the long-stalled nomination of Adam Szubin to a key Treasury Department post responsible for leading the battle against terrorism and financial crimes. The committee's chairman, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., had delayed action on Szubin's and all other nominations before his panel, stubbornly refusing to act until winning his re-election primary last week."

--"It's the panel's first confirmation vote since Republicans regained control of the chamber last year. The committee approved Szubin's nomination on a 14-8 vote that reflected sweeping GOP opposition to President Barack Obama's controversial nuclear deal with Iran, which involves the lifting of sanctions on the longtime U.S. adversary." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da91ef0fe885dcc19361aad648c074de4fefa8cc25b8a5a09b5df432ee388da7

--In more nominations news, the Senate Armed Services Committee unanimously clears Eric Fanning as secretary of the Army, who would be the first openly gay secretary of a U.S. military branch. From The Hill: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da91ef0fe885dcc103367d5529402b0e82a0ba3cb5df3215af76f0f27a72f268

QOTD - Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.), when asked whether he would trust Donald Trump with the nuclear codes: "Man, I don't know how to answer that question." Buzzfeed: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da91ef0fe885dcc1f353696a0da7b9974d43c64b617a051b3751680e81ef2d5d

DEMS PUSH OBAMA ON CONSENSUS PICK - Michael Memoli for the LATimes: "Rather than lobby him to choose a champion of liberal ideology or a symbolically historic appointment, many in the president's party have come to support his view that he should focus on finding a replacement for the late Justice Antonin Scalia who has unchallenged legal credentials ... 'A mainstream nominee with bipartisan appeal is what we need, and that's what the president will do,' said Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York, a member of the Judiciary Committee and the likely Democratic leader in the Senate next year." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da91ef0fe885dcc1c5a5cf194ef8e9a78e27eb5de2ab0b123065e6f1e9eb92b6

@ChuckGrassley: Wish Repubs had bn invited to Dems secret closed door SCOTUS meeting at WH this PM We heard fr them abt Rep secret meet in comm this am.

--Despite Senate Democrats' efforts to wear him down, Grassley, the Judiciary Committee chairman, says no SCOTUS nominee is moving this year: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da91ef0fe885dcc1b1d73ee8a772e6bb340c522638c47e6d6dfa622bfd1c9771

GOP SENATORS COMING TO TERMS WITH CRUZ - Burgess Everett for POLITICO: "It's come to this for Senate Republicans: The man who's ripped them as part of the Washington 'cartel' and dismissed their leader as a liar and a Democrat is starting to win their ever-so-grudging support for president. The endorsement of Ted Cruz by conservative Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) Thursday is the first sign that at least a handful of GOP senators are prepared to hold their noses and get behind the Texas senator, given an alternative they see as even more noxious and politically damaging: Donald Trump."

--"Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who less than two months ago likened a choice between Trump and Cruz to being shot or poisoned, has decided he can actually live with Cruz ... 'Depending on what happens in Florida, he's gonna get some more support,' Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said of Cruz." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da91ef0fe885dcc17350328e540df03808ea155d9464372e9d575801ac317502


** A message from Managed Funds Association: The hedge fund industry has become globally-regulated and now more transparent than ever before. As MFA celebrates our 25th Anniversary this week, we continue to advocate for fair, transparent and efficient markets that benefit all investors. This has been a central mission for MFA and MFA members since our founding 25 years ago. To learn more, visit www.hedgefundamentals.org. **

THANK GOODNESS IT'S FRIDAY, March 11, 2016 and you're reading the Huddle. Rachael Bade is on next week, so you can reach her at rbade@politico.com and follow her on Twitter at @rachaelmbade. As always, I'm at skim@politico.com and on Twitter at @seungminkim.

My new followers include @bizweekallison and @stranahan.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - Both chambers are blissfully out.

AROUND THE HILL - Quiet.

RYAN: JUST SAY NO TO 'DRAFT RYAN' - Susan Cornwell of Reuters with the scoop: "House Speaker Paul Ryan's political operation sent a cease-and-desist letter on Thursday to a group that is trying to draft him as a Republican presidential candidate, urging it to halt its activities and warning of legal risk ... The organization has continued attempts to collect 1 million signatures on an online petition to draft Ryan, arguing that the very definition of a draft movement is to encourage a reluctant participant to join." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da91ef0fe885dcc143cadb58245388d538634af8088dbffcf71dcd97adc671ec

NO PUBLIC HEARING FOR SCOTUS BUDGET - Tony Mauro for National Law Journal: "The U.S. Supreme Court has submitted its proposed $94 million budget for 2017 to Congress, but no public hearing will be held to discuss it. Instead, two House members met in private with Justices Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer at the court on Feb. 23 to review the budget informally. Barbara Riley, communications director for Rep. Ander Crenshaw, R-Florida, the chairman of the subcommittee that oversees the court's budget, confirmed the meeting, which also included ranking member Rep. Jose Serrano, D-New York."

--"She said the decision to meet at the court instead of holding a hearing was meant 'to accommodate a compressed Supreme Court and congressional schedule.' ... Typically, two justices-Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer, in recent years-appear before the pertinent appropriations subcommittee to explain and defend the budget in public." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da91ef0fe885dcc18efc8df297480dd90c932b92b2999127d1fdedca21dfca2a

JEFF MILLER TO RETIRE - The Pensacola News Journal: "Miller, who was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1998 and then to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2001, serves as the chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs as well as on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence ...'I don't have any plans at this point other than to continue to serve the remainder of my time and continue the oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs,' Miller said during a telephone interview." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da91ef0fe885dcc177b56065750a04084af0446d48f859fb9b488bab0d71516e

RAND REBUFFED ON PAKISTAN ARMS SALE - POLITICO's Jeremy Herb and Seung Min Kim: "In his latest move to buck his party leadership on the floor, the Kentucky Republican invoked an obscure 1970s law to force the Senate to vote on selling $700 million worth of fighter jets to Pakistan. While Paul got his debate on the floor and a roll-call vote, the Senate scuttled his effort, 71-24, on a procedural vote ... Paul received support from a mix of Democrats and Republicans critical of Pakistan's terrorism record, including Democratic Sens. Mark Warner of Virginia and Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Republicans Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Chuck Grassley of Iowa."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da91ef0fe885dcc1ea0070f78ad885b80a29e17c11ce47b6a3ee62400500fcfb

DEMS: CLINTON E-MAIL REVIEW 'POLITICIZED' - Josh Gerstein for POLITICO: "In a letter Wednesday to Intelligence Community Inspector General Charles McCullough and State Department Inspector General Steve Linick, four Senators and three House members called on the watchdogs to ensure that ongoing inquiries into the matter must be 'impartial, independent and diligent.' 'Based on public reports and communications from your offices to Congress, we have serious questions about how this review is being conducted,' the letter said. 'Already, this review has been too politicized....We are relying on you as independent inspectors general to perform your duties dispassionately and comprehensively.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da91ef0fe885dcc1ebb527c6733241ac8fb8ec2cd64c17ab260e461f36530901

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THURSDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Ok, so a flood of people weighed in on this one. But Matt Bader was the first person to correctly respond that Santorum, Gingrich and Ron Paul combined for exactly zero votes in the Guam caucus in 2012.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Matt has today's question: Name three government jobs that Teddy Roosevelt and Franklin Delano Roosevelt both had at one point in each of their careers. 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=da91ef0fe885dcc10f76eb515b7e1d1f26646648e4d068f399c13f60ad0d96d0

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