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06/30/2017 07:51 AM EDT


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

With an assist from Seung Min Kim

DAZED AND CONFUSED - GOP senators head home for a 10-day recess with little progress to show on their effort to repeal Obamacare and some feeling overwhelmed by the entire process. "Our members seem to have too much information and are almost in mental lockdown," said one Republican senator, who was perplexed at where the party goes from here, Burgess, Seung Min and Sarah Karlin-Smith report. "I can't imagine going home for 10 days is helpful."

The latest: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), still far from a deal that can get 50 votes, is instead hoping to send over a collection of new proposals today that the CBO can analyze over recess. The options include maintaining Obamacare taxes that could help subsidize insurance for low-income enrollees, allowing pre-tax health savings accounts to pay for insurance premiums (a conservative favorite) and directing $45 billion to fight the opioid epidemic.

Republican leaders hope to vote on the bill by mid-July, with the August recess serving as the hard deadline. In the meantime, senators head home to likely get pummeled by pro-Obamacare activists and angry voters. "Mitch might try and break arms" to get the bill through, said a second Republican senator. "I think it needs to sit in the crock-pot a little longer." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7452b1e121420aef5817800434286f98bc41a0118e9f513096bbac352052327736220a6a13c57b4c09cc37782eb0cf9cd6b3fde2f670b90d

Only complicating matters, "If Republican Senators are unable to pass what they are working on now, they should immediately REPEAL, and then REPLACE at a later date!" President Donald Trump tweeted this morning. This isn't likely to happen but the mixed messaging from the president - just the other day he said it'd be "ok" if they can't get a repeal done - surely doesn't help. Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) was on Fox pitching the "repeal then replace" idea a few minutes before Trump's tweet (h/t Phil Mattingly)

YOU'VE GOT MAIL - A group of senators is sending a letter to McConnell this morning asking him to cancel or shorten August recess if they don't make significant headway on their lengthy to-do list in July. Burgess has the scoop: "Spearheaded by Sen. David Perdue of Georgia, the bloc of 10 senators said the five-week break should be on the table if Republicans don't make progress on repealing Obamacare, passing a budget, averting a government shutdown at the end of September, avoiding a debt default and get to their top priority: Reforming the tax code." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7452b1e121420aef62f5822c4b2626b0c38c9b6041143afa362b5022b787692fef7bbfb04f9b27ec0bf646355bc00396f8bdf308edb72eea

GOP CENTRISTS LINE UP AGAINST BUDGET - "Centrist House Republicans are lining up to oppose a draft GOP budget aimed at curbing entitlement spending - and threatening to vote against the plan if they don't get a bipartisan deal to increase spending caps," Rachael and Sarah Ferris report. Tuesday Group co-chairman Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) is gathering signatures on a letter - he has about 20 so far - warning leadership that House Budget Chairwoman Diane Black's (R-Tenn.) plan to slash $200 billion in mandatory spending in "not practical" and "could imperil tax reform." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7452b1e121420aef1f0bdb37b9cb55d4acba33e4a550b6673ce6a96323b97f671cee0503e3216e9ff85241f71418b0468b5bcec2801c03c1

HOUSE RUSSIA INVESTIGATORS THREATEN SUBPOENA - Reps. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), leaders of the House's Russia investigation, "are threatening to subpoena the White House for records of President Donald Trump's conversations with former FBI Director James Comey, saying a tweet from the president isn't enough to clear things up," Austin reports. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7452b1e121420aefcf30c26b002d32004843b51b1bf95efd7a3024c0e634fcd4e1c72a8a66d89fb7dda588869ffc7e5438d452f09b8b0ab1

YOUR MOVE, HOUSE - The Senate on Thursday approved a procedural tweak to their bipartisan sanctions package against Russia and Iran, upping the pressure on the House to clear the proposal without first implementing changes requested by the White House. "I want to put the House on notice: If they water down the bill, weaken the sanctions, add loopholes to the legislation - they will find stiff resistance here in the Senate," Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the floor Thursday. Elana with the deets: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7452b1e121420aef1a82e9b23b82dda6a644017ae387f24a8b8d21ce6a9285ae00dd00d032cf4a3cb2c66ebb2cf1c77c694b0c07654c4160

HEY GUYS, WE MADE IT TO FRIDAY, JUNE 30. High fives all around. Thanks for reading POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill. Your Huddle host is hitting the road, heading to Alabama for a little family time over the weekend before winding our way back up through North Carolina and Charlottesville, Virginia. Got suggestions for good road trip jams? Send em my way: hcaygle@politico.com

Programming note: Your favorite morning newsletter will be taking Monday and Tuesday off to celebrate Independence Day. Huddle will be back in the game Wednesday, July 5. Here's a picture of Biggie the pup playing softball to get you through the long break: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7452b1e121420aef04d92dd080fc51bcb209d61754faf369abe3358d3c52ef28e0fce6fd9fd19591b9306aa9aeec79b73dcf1d19c0ef0f60

THURSDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Annie Linskey's super good Boston Globe profile on Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) was the winner.

JCN TARGETING STABENOW, PETERS - The Judicial Crisis Network, a conservative advocacy group focusing on the courts, is pouring $140,000 into a new ad campaign going after Michigan Democratic Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters over a circuit judge nominated from their home state. Michigan Supreme Court Justice Joan Larsen - Trump's pick for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals - hasn't yet had a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa implied earlier this week that Larsen may be getting held up by her Democratic home-state senators through the obscure blue-slip process.

A committee spokesman confirmed Thursday that blue slips - which, according to longstanding Senate tradition, have to be returned to the Judiciary Committee in order to get a hearing scheduled - have not been submitted for Larsen's nomination. "Justice Larsen - overwhelmingly reelected, she applies the law, not a political agenda," the 30-second ad says. "So why aren't Senators Stabenow and Peters supporting her nomination to the US Court of Appeals? Partisan politics." Watch the ad, here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7452b1e121420aefd7f8e0ac0f0d7f9a924786ff7240812788888afc28c0dc00e8d9bce17057b964d4401d657616468a3b6704690a0f73cd

TWEETS DU JOUR: Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), dean of the House, was sharply dressed on Thursday, rocking a polka dot sport coat and a sunflower tie. @OfficialCBC: You can't be dean if you don't look this clean. @RepJohnConyers - "Serving [fire] in Congress Since 1965" See the pic: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7452b1e121420aefe84869f26cdec40e15119bd42e804c81fe808ea20c88d15abc033601e973bd22147660d0aba03c66b7aa1c50b634b987

-Speaker Ryan pulled the ultimate "dad" move in this picture with Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.): @JimPressOffice: A fun moment between friends: @SpeakerRyan gives the Dean his belated birthday gift on the Speaker's Balcony! See the pic: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7452b1e121420aef1a6bd1ae846e39b7674bcb413b43f29aa5364faafb89b9034af6095ae7097745c41a09d679c5445f8048ddefbc05aae2

-Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who's leaving the House today, says goodbye to his beloved cot in one tweet. "Bye bye," he captioned it. See the pic: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7452b1e121420aef4771690d0054b201a6c7e551d72984bb30b8e80ca7ddfa2195f1941ba168d90f303f5883fb30317b123b363a7036dbd0

REPUBLICANS 'CAN TOLERATE' ANYTHING - Lawmakers across the Capitol denounced Trump's graphic tweets on Thursday about Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski's appearance, with Speaker Ryan calling the remarks "not appropriate." But House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had one of the most searing responses, saying Trump's tweets are "blatantly sexist" yet Republicans continue to accept such behavior. "The Republicans, they can tolerate almost anything-a candidate beating up a reporter and then cheering him on as he arrives in Congress, the tweets of the president of the United States," she told reporters. "They set a low standard for public officials in terms of their demeanor."

OCTOBER (NOT SO) SURPRISE - Congress now has until sometime in October to raise the debt ceiling, CBO said in a report Thursday. The date from the nonpartisan scoring office provides some specificity for lawmakers after top administration officials spent weeks publicly contradicting each other about when to raise the nation's debt limit. It's unclear if the latest CBO estimate will slow GOP momentum, particularly on the Senate side, for hiking the debt ceiling before lawmakers leave for August recess. Sarah Ferris with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7452b1e121420aef92ff53a28e08b774bc1f05561ea49cf8a543ac3a42877e3b0babdbe2634ef8f3cf3416ab8aa05552f2d00a216824d2a6

RNC'S STRANGE LOVE - After weeks of wrangling, the RNC has finally greenlighted funding for Sen. Luther Strange in the Alabama special election, Alex Isenstadt reports. "McConnell, who has made the race a personal priority, had spent weeks trying to get the RNC to approve its funding. The drawn-out nature of the talks became such a point of contention that in recent days the majority leader lobbied White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, a former RNC head who remains plugged into the committee's operations, to help get the funds released. Strange himself spoke with President Donald Trump." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7452b1e121420aef1809ab652c8b2ee434da62e1a13d719214e655255a8d128fc7a70129f016d2773e6a9b487b83fe330dc05144845b0233

Not so fast, RNC: "A bombastic Alabama real estate developer has formed a new PAC devoted to defeating GOP Sen. Luther Strange in the upcoming Alabama Senate special election," Maggie Severns and Daniel Strauss report for Pros. Read more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7452b1e121420aef0f0a337c1cf2b58d2a0eefcdf12d13f55ee42f1838ee21b640eb1df42fbe8ffd5b18e619a0d9cf14966fb5e268944941

RYAN: AUMF REPEAL 'A MISTAKE' - Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) thinks it was a "'mistake' for the House Appropriations Committee to adopt an amendment repealing the authorization for military force used as the legal underpinning for the war against ISIS," he told RealClearPolitics' James Arkin. After Rep. Barbara Lee's (D-Calif.) amendment surprisingly passed, there was chatter about whether members knew it was binding. But Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), a committee cardinal, said lawmakers knew what they were doing. "It's time for leadership to wake up, and the administration to wake up, and send over a recommended AUMF, mark it up and take it to the floor," Cole said. More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7452b1e121420aef0386d9911be37449a0ed28ca1bd0ee4b03d37b53480a4d2bc020ea9d9e07b9414ca06f3fe9bfeed63b96c4a014d0649b

Bye bye: As the Washington Post's Mike DeBonis points out, the provision is likely to be removed before it even hits the floor, in the House Rules Committee: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7452b1e121420aefbfbb0ff6df8905a4bf1e71008c51f76376f5747a0bb2e5baed9a46b96a34e12bfa5f165a55d23c2bca1f8db132eb53c2

WELCOME TO THE WORLD BABY MARTER - The Huddle world has its newest reader this week: Ben Marter, communications director for Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and his wife, Jean Marter, director of committee operations for House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.), welcomed baby Kerry Jane on Wednesday. "It's our second and a good thing big brother George already knows the words to Let It Go..." Ben wrote in an email sharing the news. See the sweet pic: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7452b1e121420aef2c9cc4b129b563681b8a2ed14a418a35bc9a75e483d18382056badb5c2bb3012f43e7116765c991cd75cbb0946eba328

SPOTTED - At the National Confectioners Association and FamousDC's National Candy Month celebration at Sonoma last night: Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.), Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.), Tony Fratto and Michael Steel of Hamilton Place Strategies, Matt Wolking of Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Fla.) office, Meghan Whittemore with Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) and Katie Boyd with Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), S3's Amos Snead and Stephanie Genco, Andrew Kovalcin of Advanced Advocacy, Joe Maloney and Ben Jenkins of Locust Street Group, Nathan Imperiale and Josh Schultz of NJI, and a cast of thousands.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - Congress is gone, gone, gone until July 10.

AROUND THE HILL - Staffers getting that holiday break started early with some sweet 90's jams: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7452b1e121420aefb1bf537a9aa79d7b1910cccfa759eb7b1c8724abf84fd03f2b0072b1ac30b8a1b65ca7fc06cb8e23e1275a298b5deeae

THURSDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Porter Byers was the first to correctly guess that in the late 1800's bikes were stored in the Capitol Crypt, beneath which George Washington was originally supposed to be buried.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Porter has today's two-part trivia question (gotta hold you guys over until Huddle returns Wednesday): Barack Obama is one of more than a dozen presidents who was elected as governor or to the legislature in a state other than his birth state. Of the others, who was the most recent and who was the first? 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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