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12/09/2016 08:00 AM EDT


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

With an assist from Elana Schor

TICK TOCK GOES THE SHUTDOWN CLOCK- The Senate is here today in a rare Friday session, trying to finish work on legislation to fund the government before current law expires at midnight tonight. But a group of Senate Democrats is pushing for a longer extension of health care benefits for coal miners, refusing to expedite the spending bill and veering towards a potential (temporary) government shutdown over the weekend.

"Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who are both up for reelection in 2018 from states won by Donald Trump, are leading the charge to get a better deal from Republican leaders," Burgess, Seung Min and Bres report.

Republicans not budging: "But Republicans say they will not renegotiate a four-month extension of coal miner health benefits and that Democrats have lost all leverage after the House passed the spending bill, 326-96, and then promptly left town." That means Democrats can delay but not stop the funding patch, which will be cleared sometime this weekend.

Brrrr: "Flanked by coal miners during a bitingly cold outdoor news conference on Thursday evening, Manchin insisted this is 'not a shutdown issue' and maintained he has a 'strong commitment' from his Democratic colleagues to stand firm and demand a yearlong health care extension," they report.

What's the good WRDA? Democrats are also holding up a water infrastructure bill, trying to amend the legislation to include a provision that would require steel building materials to be made in the U.S. But with the House gone until next year, it's unlikely Democrats can do more than stall for a few days. "'They're not going to get what they want. They ought to actually be grateful for what they got,' said Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Senate Republican." The latest: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=963c6f2be32d93a868f9766a780cd5df87bfc5b0d399cc8634ebaa397fae214a

Tweet du jour: BuzzFeed's Tarini Parti (@tparti): Sen. Brown: "I've tweeted the president-elect on both these issues..."

SINGING A DIFFERENT TUNE- Republicans have spent years lambasting President Obama's 2009 stimulus package, an $800 billion effort Democrats say saved the cratering economy. But now that President-elect Donald Trump is talking up his own pricey public works plan, GOP lawmakers are singing a different tune. "The same gang that made slashing spending their singular cause in Congress are now entertaining - and in many cases embracing - the president-elect's pitch to pump billions into the economy in the form of a massive infrastructure package," Rachael and Jake report this morning.

Oh the irony: "The irony, expressed privately by lawmakers and leadership aides, is glaring. Privately, House Republicans complain that Trump's infrastructure plan reeks of Obama's stimulus package ...They [also] say his tariff proposal is ridiculous and using the White House to force companies to stay in the U.S. is inappropriate. [But] many are afraid to publicly oppose Trump because of his fondness for retribution and use of Twitter to publicly shame his critics."

Exhibit A: Take GOP Rep. Doug Lamborn, who blasted Obama's stimulus as a "waste" and accused Democrats of trying to spend "their way out of the recession." Now, when asked about Trump's infrastructure plan: "There are [projects] like that that would make sense to examine and perhaps improve through a stimulus and infrastructure package," he told POLITICO. And he's not alone. Much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=963c6f2be32d93a87a2bb9f2c0d6e02a17a9223c44d4fbc846daef56cd697dd8

THE RACE IS ON- Several Republicans are already jockeying to replace current House GOP Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a contender to be the next Interior secretary, Rachael and Kyle report. "Reps. Mimi Walters, Susan Brooks, Mia Love and Doug Collins are exploring bids for the No. 4 position in House leadership currently filled by the Washington Republican. Some, including Walters, are already making phone calls to gauge support, the sources said." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=963c6f2be32d93a894f6436ae4220ae6b93896ef80dd4e00dc9b7bc17e3325eb

WE MADE IT TO FRIDAY, DEC. 9. Welcome to the (almost) end of the 114th Congress. Thanks for reading POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill. My good buddy and new Congress team member Kyle Cheney will be taking the reins of Huddle Monday and Tuesday. Please send your juiciest tips, scoops and comings and goings his way: kcheney@politico.com. And I'll see y'all Wednesday!

THURSDAY'S MOST CLICKED- Outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid's interview with Burgess, Seung Min and Bres was the winner.

TODAY IN CONGRESS- The House is out until January. The Senate gavels in at 10 a.m. with roll call votes possible but currently not scheduled.

AROUND THE HILL- Senators counting down the minutes until they can go home.

** A message from the Stop The HIT Coalition: The Health Insurance Tax (HIT) drives up health care costs for small businesses, seniors, state Medicaid programs and middle-income Americans. The consequences are real. We need to repeal the HIT before it hurts small businesses and hardworking American families even more. Congress, please stop the HIT. Once and for all. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=963c6f2be32d93a85f34914fd4234ec445892580bd156a51c3f5f7f4aa96fc74 **

DOWN IN THE SWAMP- President-elect Donald Trump heads to Louisiana today to gin up support for Republican Senate candidate John Kennedy ahead of Saturday's runoff against Democrat Foster Campbell. Sen. Bill Cassidy, outgoing Sen. David Vitter and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise are all expected to attend. Kennedy is expected to easily win the runoff, giving Republicans one more Senate seat. More from the Advocate: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=963c6f2be32d93a89e0e4a5ca85a60fc78d458418a80d22094d16d7e92eb3760

FIRST IN HUDDLE: NEW DCCC CHIEF OF STAFF- Aaron Trujillo has been tapped as the new chief of staff for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Trujillo was a senior adviser to DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján during the 2016 cycle and before that worked as an aide to the New Mexico lawmaker on Capitol Hill with a brief stint at the Commerce Department in between.

Luján also picked Dan Sena to serve as DCCC's executive director, he announced Thursday. Sena, who replaces Kelly Ward, will be the first Latino to serve in that role. More from the Washington Post's Mike DeBonis on Sena: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=963c6f2be32d93a8f4f01f7618e254962e1b3c1fcafd6a3997466b2ab2daf226

ALLY TO THE CHIEF- Sen. Orrin Hatch, the longest serving Senate Republican and chairman of the Finance Committee, which will play a pivotal role in the upcoming administration, has become a key ally to Trump. Hatch has "emerged as an important source of counsel," for the president-elect, who doesn't have many close ties on Capitol Hill, reports the Wall Street Journal. "A few weeks ago, Mr. Trump tapped Mr. Hatch's chief of staff, Robert Porter, to assist with his transition process." Hatch and Trump have also traded phone numbers and have chatted roughly a dozen times since the election. More from Brody Mullins and Rebecca Ballhaus: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=963c6f2be32d93a8f4abec5f31d74ee23f3424cd9250eea6abcaa0c77f010e47

IT'S ALL IN THE GUT- Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan knows he has a reputation for flirting with a run for higher office (senator, governor) but never taking the plunge. Now he says the decision to run for governor of the Buckeye State will depend on his gut and "the economy under a Donald Trump presidency and Republican rule in Ohio," Kyle reports. Ryan said he's been getting recruitment calls after his failed challenge to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a bid critics say was just to position himself for the governor's race. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=963c6f2be32d93a870e60d6a107b28ab1f1e4412cf5d32c794edb088faff28a1

WILL HE OR WON'T HE? Pressure is mounting for Labor Secretary Tom Perez to enter the DNC race. "Perez has several close allies among the state Democratic chairmen who are privately urging him to run for party leader, along with support from parts of the labor movement," the Hill's Jonathan Easley reports, noting that both President Obama and VP Joe Biden have encouraged him to seek the post.

"Some leaders in the AFL-CIO, the nation's largest labor federation, are furious about the group's early endorsement of Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) for DNC chairman and are looking to Perez for an alternative." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=963c6f2be32d93a87c622256636c355c9f92c83be92bb10e69485de42d60c566

And on the flip side, Trump zeroes in on his RNC pick, from Eliana Johnson, Ken Vogel and Alex Isenstadt: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=963c6f2be32d93a8da401155b6af5497d1f266ae4f003bacf064bc7979494ad9 The top two candidates: Michigan GOP chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel and Nick Ayers, a Republican operative currently serving as an aide to VP-elect Mike Pence, they report.

HEITKAMP NOT SOLD ON TRUMP EPA NOMINEE- Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) met with Trump last week and remains in the running to join his Cabinet, but that doesn't mean she's prepared to fall in line as a yes on Scott Pruitt, the Oklahoma attorney general the president elect tapped Wednesday to lead his EPA. Pruitt is also a longtime critic of the federal ethanol mandate, which gives Heitkamp -- who faces a tough reelection battle in 2018, if she stays in the Senate -- some serious pause.

"I'm still learning about him, but I have serious concerns about his record of opposing the Renewable Fuel Standard, which is critical for farmers and jobs across North Dakota," Heitkamp said in a statement. "If we're going to have an EPA administrator who understands rural America, that means they also have to understand the needs of farmers and want to support those farmers."

JOHN GLENN REMEMBERED- John Glenn, the first American to orbit earth, a long-time senator, WWII and Korean War veteran and an American hero, was remembered in bipartisan tributes from lawmakers Thursday after his death at 95. "Glenn, a friend to many of us and a genuine American hero, passed away today," Hillary Clinton said during a ceremony honoring outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, her first time on Capitol Hill since the election.

"I know the tributes will be flowing, I'm sure the congressional record will be filled with pages of appreciation and recognition of this extraordinary American's life," she continued. And don't miss the New York Times' obit on Glenn from the great John Noble Wilford, who also covered the 1969 moon landing for the Gray Lady: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=963c6f2be32d93a87fdf30eff8dbc69b6e2348559f125899cac835a845a304be

GOP READYING RUSSIAN PROBE- Senate Republicans are launching a probe into Russia's meddling in the U.S. election, putting them on a potential collision course with Trump, who has downplayed any impact from the country's hacking schemes. "See, the problem with hacking is that if they're able to disrupt elections, then it's a national security issue, obviously," [Senate Armed Services Chairman John] McCain said Thursday." More from Karoun Demirjian with the Washington Post: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=963c6f2be32d93a88af44f37df6cbd9661210852e801545b8ff84a93a4004e1e

SPOTTED- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers were honored at the U.S. Global Leadership's Tribute Dinner on Thursday night for their support for U.S. foreign assistance programs.

THURSDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER- Cory Bisbee was the first to correctly guess that no current U.S. ambassador has served previously as governor.

TODAY'S TRIVIA- Logan Ferree with today's question: Because of the Cannon Renewal Project, the Budget Committee has been moved from their traditional hearing room to a temporary spot in Longworth 1334, previously the House Natural Resource's secondary hearing room. This room has been host to many different committees over the years.

In 1944, a new mural was unveiled that still adorns the hearing room to this day (although the Budget Committee has covered it with curtains). What's the name of the painting, the name of the artist and the House Committee for which the mural was painted for?

The first person to correctly guess the answer to today's question gets a mention in Monday's Huddle. Send suggestions for trivia questions my way: hcaygle@politico.com

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** A message from the Stop The HIT Coalition: The Health Insurance Tax (HIT) drives up health care costs for small businesses, seniors, state Medicaid programs and middle-income Americans. The HIT is estimated to cost hardworking American families an additional $5,000 over a decade. And since the cost and consequences of the HIT increase over time, America's small businesses and hardworking families are facing a bigger HIT every year. This translates to real jobs for businesses and real wages for families. That's why the Stop The HIT Coalition - representing the nation's small business owners and their employees - is working hard to repeal the HIT before it causes even more damage.
Congress, please stop the HIT. Once and for all. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=963c6f2be32d93a85f34914fd4234ec445892580bd156a51c3f5f7f4aa96fc74 **

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