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11/06/2017 07:59 AM EDT


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

THE HARD WORK GETS HARDER - The Ways and Means Committee meets at noon today to begin what will be a multi-day markup of the GOP's tax reform bill. Committee leaders hope to vote on the bill by Thursday at the latest, teeing it up for floor consideration before members leave later this month for Thanksgiving. Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said on Fox News Sunday that the House is "on track" to meet its Thanksgiving deadline with plans to send the president a bill to sign by Christmas. And he told the New York Times that failure is not an option. "I'm not going to let that happen," Ryan told Carl Hulse. "We've got to get it done."

Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady said Friday that tax writers are looking at the budgetary impact of adding language repealing Obamacare's individual mandate, a move many conservatives have tried to revive but that could seriously derail the bill's momentum. Ryan didn't rule the idea out on Sunday but GOP sources said over the weekend that repealing the mandate might not generate as much money as previously estimated. The CBO is expected to release its updated score today, Playbook reported over the weekend.

Meanwhile, Republican members on the panel huddled Sunday to consider other changes to the bill, including letting wealthy home owners deduct more mortgage interest, the Washington Post reports. Tax writers are also mulling ways to make more "pass-through" businesses, which include both small and large companies that aren't corporations, eligible for the lower 25 percent tax rate in the House GOP bill. Ed O'Keefe, Damian Paletta and Mike DeBonis with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7cc2086444cbf09ce3ec0ae1af486fb0971584a4769461abcc24cb963e6aee3a548684e5b4ec7420fd72913ff5875442

Democrats respond: "The legislation that we are marking up today lets the American people down at every step of their life-- from birth through retirement," Ways and Means ranking member Richard Neal (D-Mass.) will say in his opening statement. The markup starts at 12 p.m. Watch live: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7cc2086444cbf09c7d29b1fef9a17f809f08377f21a9b5c086b4237555e12eb5b49be9530fb1b93a5a527f4a2490e98a

Coming attractions: The Senate Finance Committee is expected to unveil its own tax bill after Ways and Means wraps up on Thursday. Unlike the House, the Senate is hemmed in by budget constraints the chamber must follow in order to be able to pass a bill without Democratic votes. That means the permanent 20 percent corporate tax rate the House included in its proposal may not be possible in the Senate unless Republicans can find a way to offset the costs elsewhere. Aaron Lorenzo with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7cc2086444cbf09cf2062481a11d88ed4470ee05bee6d0b47491b5c59d23d2cb3db49290d033addac2d022cc878a600f

TRUMP: SHOOTING NOT A 'GUNS SITUATION' -Trump rejected a question about gun safety Monday morning, saying that the Texas shooter who killed 26 people in a church outside of San Antonio yesterday is a "deranged individual." "This is a mental health problem at the highest level," Trump said during a press conference in Japan, Andrew Restuccia reports from Tokyo. "This isn't a guns situation." Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), who represents Sutherland Springs, told NPR that the church where the massacre took place is the "center of life" for the community of about 400 people.

MENENDEZ LAWYERS MAKE CLOSING ARGUMENTS - Attorneys for Sen. Bob Menendez will present their closing arguments in the New Jersey Democrat's federal bribery trial today. But, as Bres reports, it's likely Democrats "will be in no rush to expel or force Menendez out of office, even if a Democrat wins the New Jersey gubernatorial race." If Menendez is found guilty, Republicans are expected to try and quickly expel him from the Senate, giving outgoing Gov. Chris Christie the opportunity to name a GOP replacement.

But at least two-thirds of the Senate - including more than a dozen Democrats - would have to vote in favor of expelling him. And if Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy wins tomorrow's race, as many expect, Democrats would have an incentive to wait until January to allow the new governor to pick a replacement or possibly even let Menendez stay as long as he promises not to run for reelection next year. Bres with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7cc2086444cbf09c3bb583aa2ca20e0e15f8fffc08774d224a5b70cd3a4d94cba025a99f8e278a1cf544ee229d1ee203

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HITTING THE PAVEMENT, READY FOR MONDAY. Welcome to Nov. 6, and thanks for reading Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill. Alabama continued to dominate this weekend, rolling over LSU in a 24-10 win. We're knocking at your door Georgia.

FRIDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Seung Min's story about the potential tax landmines awaiting the Senate - and who to watch - was the winner to end the week.

PAUL SUFFERS BROKEN RIBS IN ASSAULT - Sen. Rand Paul is suffering from five broken ribs and bruised lungs after being assaulted by a neighbor in Kentucky on Friday. Given the severity of Paul's injury, it's unclear when he'll be able to return to Washington. "This type of injury is caused by high velocity severe force," his chief political strategist, Doug Stafford, said in a statement Sunday. Paul's neighbor, Rene Boucher, has been charged with one count of fourth-degree assault after allegedly tackling the Kentucky Republican from behind. Officials have not disclosed a reason for the altercation but a spokeswoman for Paul said that the senator had been "blindsided." Seung Min with more:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7cc2086444cbf09c30f02e802678180c7c9f8f5a3783b84fca4d8cbd8ec54d50393579f4f227d2de133938978df0dc03

VOTERS FAVOR DEMS IN NEW HOUSE POLL - Voters in a new Washington Post-ABC News poll say they prefer Democratic candidates for the House over Republicans "by the widest margin in over a decade," Sean Sullivan and Emily Guskin report. "But Democrats' effort to convert widespread disapproval of President Trump into victories in 2018 could be undercut by lower turnout, with Republicans expressing just as much motivation to vote in next year's elections." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7cc2086444cbf09cbd42c22fd944fcc0dec26f620b2a76f92feeb1ef7a0ec3f49ddef8d8dec216ee83169026eb5c03df

Related: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said impeaching Trump is "not someplace that I think we should go," even if Democrats retake the House next year. More from her CNN State of the Union interview: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7cc2086444cbf09cd26f9fe841d93237928191e8adcc8131f532844102e3a075349ccc82da48f590026c65d9e68b1ab6

WHAT THE HILL IS READING: RUSSIA PROBE INTENSIFIES - Special Counsel Robert Mueller has enough evidence to charge former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and his son, according to NBC News. "Mueller is applying renewed pressure on Flynn following his indictment of Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort," report Julia Ainsley, Carol Lee and Ken Dilanian, citing three officials familiar with the probe. "The investigators are speaking to multiple witnesses in coming days to gain more information surrounding Flynn's lobbying work, including whether he laundered money or lied to federal agents about his overseas contacts." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7cc2086444cbf09cbe8ae784d722a2ee5ec47e0e7ec7e782ffe28016162795614a597bd3ab2d1e77e58b9c53795a1d9d

Speaker Ryan on Mueller: "We're not going to interfere with his investigation. The investigation will take its course, and we will let it take its course," Ryan said on Fox News Sunday. Cristiano Lima with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7cc2086444cbf09c81dd42745d77748772feb8fb0d4c40b201e70f3ea0676281222f224cdd8d11793e82ed806e92fb5c

MEANWHILE, ACROSS THE WORLD... The president on Sunday "eased into his 12-day sprint through Asia with a round of golf and a private dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, one of his closest allies on the international stage," Andrew Restuccia reports from Tokyo. But "with the threat of North Korea's burgeoning nuclear weapons program looming, the grueling swing through the region - the longest trip since Trump took office - will likely be a defining moment for the president." Much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7cc2086444cbf09caaf5d15f755b4c0bb59e6cc728cf4c5fe19b2d996c269493e9eee69dd7419b6fda1b089779564a18

HARASSMENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT ON THE HILL - The House Administration Committee will hold a hearing Nov. 14 to examine what many say are the Capitol's arcane and severely lacking sexual harassment policies. Speaker Ryan is also urging lawmakers to undergo sexual harassment training and require it for their staffs. "We can and should lead by example," Ryan said in a dear colleague letter on Friday. Currently, unlike other federal offices, congressional staffers and lawmakers are not required to undergo training. And staffers must go through a drawn-out and arduous process to even file a harassment complaint. The Hill's Cristina Marcos with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7cc2086444cbf09c2e6292dbdfe6736a9b8152dd1ca71f08f2620b83eea26bcf99ead1c53b9e0cd68ed4a6e2c1092a20

NRCC MEETS WITH BANNON - Leaders of the House GOP's campaign arm met with Steve Bannon on Friday in an attempt to head off divisive primaries like the challenges Bannon is promising against Senate Republicans. NRCC Chairman Steve Stivers (R-Ohio) and John Rogers, the group's executive director, went to the Capitol Hill townhouse that serves as a base of operations for Bannon and Breitbart, Alex Isenstadt and Elena Schneider report. "Bannon pledged to Stivers and Rogers that his focus is not on toppling establishment-oriented House incumbents in the 2018 midterm elections ... but rather on waging an all-out war against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell." More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7cc2086444cbf09c7b64cb0fa063eb88a965827dce1d1847147d5abe4f8a13d1ed5dbf42b012461e763095079a4fc240

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The Senate meets at 3 p.m. with a procedural vote related to Steven Engel, assistant attorney general nominee, at 5:30 p.m. More info: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7cc2086444cbf09c63eb149871b2f41f819ad61a2e30f56652b9e7f7891be777ee59c8270fae3ddbda88818e64c42ed1 The House gavels in at 12 p.m. with votes on several noncontroversial bills starting at 6:30 p.m. Today's agenda: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7cc2086444cbf09c6164974a33c7f9a547e0d8cc3bb8705b7b0e08f588b66d2d6ea1863d7d61552e037054140c64adbf

AROUND THE HILL - Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) holds a press call to discuss the impact the GOP tax plan would have on families in his district at 1:15 p.m. RSVP: lauren.french@mail.house.gov.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) holds a pen and pad on North Korea at 3:30 p.m. in S-316.

Reps. Ann Kuster (D-N.H.) and Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.) co-chairs of the bipartisan heroin task force, and Reps. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) participate in a roundtable on drug interventions at 3:30 p.m. in 340 Cannon.

FRIDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Guys, no one correctly guessed our trivia question Friday. Can you believe it?

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Let's try this one more time: What Washington institution first occupied the present site of the Rayburn House Office Building? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess my way: hcaygle@politico.com.

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