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04/13/2016 08:19 AM EDT


By Rachael Bade (Rbade@politico.com or @RachaelMBade)

"WHY I'M SUPPORTING BERNIE"- First Senator, JEFF MERKLEY (D-Or.), endorses Bernie Sanders for president: "I grew up in working-class Oregon. On a single income, my parents could buy a home, take a vacation and help pay for college. My father worked with his hands as a millwright and built a middle-class life for us... [M]y father... told me that if I went through those doors, and worked hard, I could do just about anything... But America has gone off track, and the outlook for the kids growing up there is a lot gloomier today than 40 years ago. Many middle-class Americans are working longer for less income than decades ago, even while big-ticket expenses like housing, health care and
college have relentlessly pushed higher..."

"Hillary Clinton has a remarkable record. She would be a strong and capable president. But Bernie Sanders is boldly and fiercely addressing the biggest challenges facing our country.... It has been noted that Bernie has an uphill battle ahead of him to win the Democratic nomination. But his leadership on these issues and his willingness to fearlessly stand up to the powers that be have galvanized a grass-roots movement. People know that we don't just need better policies, we need a wholesale rethinking of how our economy and our politics work, and for whom they work." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4a6487457eabcd8ce9e733cf326f1ed5127637f98469afda4a5729fdfaa81e1c

-- Rapid fire analysis, via CNN's Manu Raju in the tweet du jour: "Merkley endorsement of Bernie shows how their like-minded colleague -- Elizabeth Warren -- is in a tough position as she stays neutral."

POLITICO DEEP-DIVE: ONE TENEO MASTERMIND'S EARLY ROOTS AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT. Clinton-linked company Teneo has long been the center of palace intrigue - ever since The New Republic and New York Times reported in 2013 on a mutually beneficial relationship between the New York consulting firm and the Clinton Global Initiative. Bill Clinton worked there for a time; and a bunch of Clinton staffers found jobs with cushy salaries there in the early days. But while most of those headlines have centered on Teneo co-founder Doug Band, Bill Clinton's closest post-presidency staffer, or Huma Abedin, Hillary's longtime aide who also worked there while she was serving at State, few have heard of the
man dozens of early employees told me is the real brain of the start-up: Declan Kelly.

Clinton as Secretary of State gave Kelly, a fundraiser for her on the 2008 presidential trail, a low key State Department job in that carried international prestige. And while he worked at State, urging global corporations to invest in his diplomatic jurisdiction area of Northern Ireland, he was also taking money from at least two of them as a consultant. That's all while he was also laying the ground work for Teneo, a firm he would launch just a month after he stepped down from state. Read it: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4a6487457eabcd8cfc84bffbf9daac52e320d4a08c604790b062fb41a6df58b1

IT'S WEDNESDAY, April 13, 2016. Thanks for reading Huddle, your tipsheet of all things Congress. Keep the chatter coming here: rbade@politico.com, or here @RachaelMBade

TODAY IN CONGRESS. The House returns at 10 a.m. First and last votes between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. The Senate is back at 9:30 a.m.

AROUND THE HILL. At 10 a.m., Speaker Ryan and GOP leaders will hold a presser while House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders hold a media availability on the looming budget deadline. At 10:15 a.m., Sen. Angus King meets with SCOTUS nominee Merrick Garland. At 1 p.m., Sens. Barbara Mikulski, Ben Cardin, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine talk metro oversight. At 3 p.m., in Emancipation Hall, House and Senate leaders hold the Gold Medal Ceremony honoring the 65th Infantry Regiment, the Borinqueneers. And at 3:30 p.m., Sen. Patty Murray picks up where King left off, meeting with Garland.

READ HIS LIP: "Paul Ryan Really, Honestly, Truly, No Kidding Doesn't Want To Be President." Best headline ever. Buzzfeed's Salvador Hernandez has the read on the press conference we all watched - but, let's face it: This won't be the last time he has to say it... "Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan delivered a direct message Tuesday on the continuous speculation he might make a late entrance to the presidential race and swoop in as an establishment savior to a potentially contested GOP convention: 'Count me out.'"

"The leading Republican in the House and former vice presidential candidate made the statement after weeks of speculation that he might consider being named as a candidate during the Republican convention, should one of the current candidates fail to reach the required number of delegates. But Ryan tried to put the second-guesses to rest in a press conference Tuesday, saying delegates should consider only those who have thrown their hat in the once-crowded Republican primary. 'I simply believe that if you want to be the nominee for our party, to be the president, you should actually run for it,' Ryan said during the short press conference. 'I chose not to. Therefore I should not be
considered. Period. End of story.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4a6487457eabcd8c61d3ce39a26aa2abc7b772cd8b9acc37ae0c9a9f73dcf21c


** A message from Grant Thornton LLP: As business owners prepare for their tax filing deadline, many will ask, "Did I pay more than my competitors?" For a number of businesses, the answer is YES. Visit http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4a6487457eabcd8ccde5edf19a8b881e56a3b2340ce4da7b3da095579ab69dc5 for a tax policy that treats all businesses fairly. **

WHAT BUDGET? - "The GOP's budget fail." Jake and Burgess report: "Not long ago, Congressional Republicans said authoring and passing a budget were the basics of governing. They flew into open rage when Harry Reid's Senate Democrats took a pass on advancing a fiscal blueprint, and threatened to withhold lawmakers' pay as a punishment. And they convinced voters to return them to power because they would make Capitol Hill work again. But here we are, on April 13, with Republicans holding both chambers of Congress, and there isn't a budget in sight..."

"In fact, they won't just miss the mid-April deadline by a day or two. There's a better-than-even chance that the House and Senate will never pass a budget together, and there's an even better chance that neither chamber will pass a budget before the election." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4a6487457eabcd8c952781ad6c1fcee142dd3803f1208219b31ce9e4d0a5492e

--"Congressional Leaders to Push for Spending Bills Amid Budget Obstacles," David Herszenhorn per the N.Y. Times: "House and Senate appropriators are set to barrel ahead with spending bills over the next few days, even as House Republican leaders seem unable to win passage of a budget resolution because of opposition from hard-line conservatives. The appropriations bills, beginning with a , will adhere to top-line budget limits included in a deal reached in the fall between President Obama and John A. Boehner." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4a6487457eabcd8cad16ccee6a5877bf1f5a629390aac75a00f4aaf6eaa3df9d

BACK PEDDLING FAST? - "Mike Lee won't challenge incumbent to grab Senate leadership spot." Well that didn't last long. Kelsey Snell at the Post with the read: "Conservative Mike Lee may want a coveted seat within party leadership, but he's not willing to wage a head-to-head war to oust another senator to get there. The Utah Republican's bid to take over as chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee hit an early snag after leaders insisted that Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) is entitled to keep his seat for another two years. Lee doesn't plan to fight Barrasso - who he believes is term-limited from seeking another stint in that post - directly for the job. That means his only option is
to challenge Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to a battle over party rules and risk spoiling any goodwill he might need."

"Despite Lee's argument to the contrary, McConnell told reporters Tuesday afternoon that the rules are clear and that Barrasso can serve in his current role through the end of 2018. 'I think I can safely say it's been the position of the conference that a partial term does not count toward the three-term limit,' McConnell said. 'There are several precedents.' Lee spokesman Conn Carroll said Tuesday that while Lee believes the rules clearly state that Barrasso's time is up, 'Senator Lee is not intending to run against him.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4a6487457eabcd8cce8946ee30721f191b737d0b839a8ac1d9e038a9cd5a637d

PITTSBURG POST-GAZETTE BACKS SESTAK - "Joe Sestak for the Dems: He'd be the toughest challenger to Pat Toomey." From the editorial board: "Democrats who want a formidable challenger to take on U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey in November should nominate the person who nearly beat the Republican six years ago: former congressman and three-star admiral Joe Sestak. Mr. Sestak, 64, spent two terms in the House after a 31-year career in the Navy that was capped by service under President Bill Clinton as a defense policy adviser. In 2010, after defeating newly minted Democrat Arlen Specter for the party nomination, he narrowly lost the general election to Mr. Toomey - by just two percentage points in a year
that Republicans were ascendant..."

"Mr. Sestak's biggest obstacle to renomination is Katie McGinty, 52, who has received the backing of top Democratic officials, including President Barack Obama and Gov. Tom Wolf, for whom she was chief of staff." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4a6487457eabcd8cb2d9e27d53a0e7aa4fe8c17a70151f1ad4f669b37f8bb7b5

MOVING ON: Sean Bartlett informed friends and acquaintances yesterday that Friday is his last day with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the DNC. He's headed to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to serve as the communications director for the Democratic members. Caitlin Oakley also left the Beer Institute to be Budget Chairman Tom Price's press secretary in his personal office.

AND, A SPECIAL SHOUT TO OUR OWN: Our Huddle co-author and congressional reporter Lauren French is leaving POLITICO for McBee Strategic starting today. While we're sure she will miss getting up at the crack of dawn to write this tipsheet for ya'lls, we know French is excited to manage a new public affairs service at McBee called the "Press Office." We wish her luck in the new endeavor - though we know she won't need it because she's already got the mad-awesomeness skills.

MONDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER: Justin Arnold was the first to answer that Ronald Reagan was last major party candidate for president to name his running mate (in 1976) prior to the convention, and ultimately not receive the nomination. His choice was Richard Schweiker

TODAY'S TRIVIA: Comes from our winner runner up yesterday, Claude Marx, who kept with the same theme: When Reagan was elected four years later what job did he give Schweiker? Email me: rbade@politico.com

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** A message from Grant Thornton LLP: Since 2013, pass-through owners have faced a potentially higher tax rate (39.6%) on their business income than their C corporation competitors (35%). This rate disparity puts pass-throughs at a competitive disadvantage and hinders U.S. investment, job creation and economic growth. In an ideal world, the same tax rates would apply to all business income, regardless of its form.

Visit http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4a6487457eabcd8ccde5edf19a8b881e56a3b2340ce4da7b3da095579ab69dc5 for a tax policy that treats businesses fairly.

(c) 2016 Grant Thornton LLP | All rights reserved | U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd **

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