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10/20/2017 07:58 AM EDT


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

With an assist fro Daniel Lippman

TAX TRAIN ROLLS ON - The Senate passed its fiscal 2018 budget 51-49 on Thursday night, a key step to Republican hopes of jamming a tax overhaul through Congress along party lines in the coming months. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul was the lone Republican dissenter. Behind the scenes, GOP leaders have already hammered out an agreement to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate budget resolutions, likely negating the need for a formal conference and giving Republicans more time to focus on tax reform before the end of the year, Rachael, Burgess and Sarah report.

The Senate adopted a package of House-requested tweaks Thursday night, teeing up the budget resolution for House passage as soon as next week. Both chambers need to pass identical budgets in order to allow Republicans to use the fast-tracking tool for tax reform that permits them to bypass a Democratic filibuster in the Senate. As part of the deal, the House will have to swallow the Senate's plan to add $1.5 trillion to the deficit via tax reform after the lower chamber's budget initially demanded a deficit-neutral tax plan. Sarah and Seung Min with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6760efb08973d48a8b2927b57ab89607ae24f8d28590f098c5057446a647e4e72b79c7fa8eca4c045451086ce58f1189

REMEMBER, after the collapse of GOP efforts to repeal Obamacare earlier this year, many Republicans see tax reform as necessary to holding onto their majorities in Congress in the 2018 midterms. Without tax reform, "that will be the end of us as a party," Sen. Lindsey Graham said, via the New York Times, "because if you're a Republican and you don't want to simplify the tax code and cut taxes, what good are you to anybody?"

TRUMP COMES TO THE CAPITOL - President Donald Trump will be on Capitol Hill Tuesday to address GOP senators during their weekly caucus lunch. This is the first time Trump has come to the Capitol to address senators, though he did host the GOP caucus at the White House earlier this year, Burgess notes. "We are pleased to announce that President Trump will join us next Tuesday to press our common agenda and speed a great American recovery," Republican Policy Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said in a statement.

THAT'S NOT HOW THIS WORKS - At least four officials at three federal agencies are doing work substantially similar to positions for which they've been nominated - before being confirmed by the Senate. "Lawyers and other experts said the moves - including by the EPA, the State Department and the OMB - to have unconfirmed nominees show up for work" appears to skirt an obscure federal law that prohibits such action, Andrew Restuccia and Nahal Toosi report. "It's unclear whether the officials in question are in direct violation of the law, but some experts said the administration appears to be defying its intent." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45cac299e851e914f3086ce3245349ea92956561b64f095bb7135aba67ad16d85e909c62b16ae29782346d45dbf3fee2

TWO THUMBS WAY UP FOR FRIDAY. Welcome to Oct. 20 and thanks for tuning in to POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill. Bama takes on the Tennessee Volunteers at home this weekend, kickoff at 3:30 p.m.

Weekend Jams: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45cac299e851e91498aa7b7549aadff00b30ad0d0f6d2d1e562862e67a82f8c0037e9e0810fde59fc8c5cc10a28d5ef7 (I mean, what else?)

THURSDAY'S MOST CLICKED: You guys were really digging Maggie Severn's piece on Vice President Mike Pence's older brother, Greg, gearing up for a House run in Indiana.

CAN WE GET A LITTLE HELP OVER HERE? GOP senators who negotiated a bipartisan deal to stabilize Obamacare are desperately trying to get Trump on board after the president both indicated support for the proposal and then trashed it multiple times this week. "I want a deal. I want to get something for this money," Trump told Sen. Lindsey Graham, who talked to the president Wednesday night and tried to sell the bill as "a bridge" to eventually repealing Obamacare.

The bipartisan bill from Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray's (D-Wash.) would restore Obamacare subsidies that cover costs for low-income enrollees. The White House announced plans to nix those subsidies last week. Alexander officially introduced the bill Thursday, with at least 60 members - 12 Republicans and all 48 Democrats - saying they support it. The bill could get attached to a year-end spending package, where many on the Hill believe it has a better chance of passing than as a stand-alone proposal. Burgess and Jen: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45cac299e851e914d5536e7c2ed124154e3035a088eba5ca11716ad209cf702312e359cf9e71457894d46e25e45c16bb

Trump will only support the deal if it makes major changes to current law, including rolling back the individual and employer mandates (a non-starter for Democrats), according to the Wall Street Journal. Stephanie Armour and Kristina Peterson with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45cac299e851e9146509b68ba7e030cf56aa25a832f4b22ee18f0861641420e8c6d053c6fb69ffdec8b89b52c9928948

Related: A federal judge plans to rule next week on a request to force the Trump administration to continue making the Obamacare subsidy payments, Josh Gerstein reports. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45cac299e851e914860a3c20af758702131f5650b2809f7e6cb1839ed89f87abe8d5122f0791ea6594a83b862c3bfb1a


** A message from the National Confectioners Association - #AlwaysATreat: Leading global chocolate and candy companies are coming together to provide more information, options, and support as consumers enjoy their favorite treats. It's the first step on our journey to help people manage their sugar intake and ensure that they feel empowered to make informed choices. Learn more at AlwaysATreat.com. **

BYE BYE BUDDIES - Ohio Rep. Pat Tiberi, who officially announced plans to retire Thursday, is just the latest ally of Speaker Paul Ryan to head for exits recently. "A number of the speaker's closest comrades in the House have called it quits in recent weeks because they're tired of President Donald Trump's antics, depressed over the GOP's dearth of legislative accomplishments this year or have personal reasons," Rachael reports. Tiberi, a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee who is leaving to join the Ohio Business Roundtable, will vacate his seat by Jan. 31, 2018.

Let's do the math: "So far, two Republicans have announced they are resigning and seven that they are retiring. Ten GOP lawmakers have said they're leaving the House to run for higher office," Rachael reports. While one House aide says that's about the same turnover as this time last Congress, other House sources note many of the lawmakers leaving this time around are seasoned veterans and reliable leadership allies. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45cac299e851e9144a96474679e5a3fa71d15cbe4aee5754d517b49a4c6c675991adf4a8d3a83115c417514c9aea7bbe

YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND IN ME - Trump called three GOP incumbent senators this week to offer his support for their 2018 re-election bids after the trio popped up on Steve Bannon's target list for next year. The calls to Sens. John Barrasso of Wyoming, Deb Fischer of Nebraska and Roger Wicker of Mississippi are expected to be followed by formal endorsements, Josh Dawsey and Burgess report. "The three incumbent senators have the strong support of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has said that many of the anti-establishment candidates Bannon and others may support don't have a path to victory in general elections." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45cac299e851e91439af50005fe5b0bba3235b5b2ba0ad8abf3d46e4ae9e3d2f3e118d907e7e32cf4c805c2556fb7cda

-- Bannon will keynote the California GOP's convention tonight. The L.A. Times with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=42f8ecd976f07e9da8ab987537a1d5dc521c62a3def425b6640460175184779394748cc5bc64faf69df9c90b75da531d

VIDEO DU JOUR - Paul Ryan was the keynote speaker at the annual Al Smith dinner in New York City, a white-tie event where guests typically roast politicians - a tradition the House speaker was happy to continue. "Every morning, I wake up in my office and scroll Twitter to see which tweets I will have to pretend that I didn't see later," Ryan said of Trump. More from NBC: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=42f8ecd976f07e9d170267912604f99c4385277bc7b9fda336ea01f48051a6149b98ecf3e87348d76bf61f897a9b8349

SHOW ME THE MONEY - An unprecedented wave of well-funded Democrats have launched campaigns against Republican incumbents this year, setting the stage for a battle for the House in the 2018 midterms, Elena reports for Pros. "At least 162 Democrats in 82 GOP-held districts have raised over $100,000 so far this year," she reports. "That's about four times as many candidates as Democrats had at this point before the 2016 or 2014 elections, and it's more than twice as many as Republicans had running at this point eight years ago, before they captured the House in the 2010 wave election." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=42f8ecd976f07e9d130024335c8d700c11e152cbf2efde845c28dd9aaefa2080c55dc2ef99f99e6fd5345f2fa84b60d3

CONFIRMATION CORNER - "Trump has personally interviewed at least two potential candidates for U.S. attorney positions in New York, according to two sources familiar with the matter - a move that critics say raises questions about whether they can be sufficiently independent from the president," Seung Min and Bres report. It's highly unusual for a president to interview candidates for the 93 U.S. attorney jobs, which are subject to Senate confirmation. The Southern District of New York, one of the positions Trump conducted an interview for, has jurisdiction over Trump Tower. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=42f8ecd976f07e9dc4fc322652c62440183cf41aa69cd5140dc5e0b48f5903bd003723d57948c5574a609b39a6eb9231

-- "Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell is the leading candidate to become the chair of the U.S. central bank after Trump concluded a series of meetings with five finalists Thursday, three administration officials said," Ben White, Victoria Guida and Josh Dawsey report. "Of the five finalists, Powell would likely face the least opposition to confirmation in the Senate, according to interviews with nearly a dozen members of the Banking Committee." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=42f8ecd976f07e9dfffc979f547d0bdeaa61957f716145c0299fdef2baf68e129941a941f2358ec2aff84d3863902c61

ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES - Dominic Gabello has left as chief of staff to Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.) to join the congresswoman's gubernatorial campaign as manager. Erin Wilson, legislative assistant for Rep. Glenn Thomson (R-PA.), will be leaving the Hill after three years to work as a policy adviser at USDA starting Nov. 1.

Lucy Vernasco has been hired as digital director for Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) -- she'll also manage digital for the Senate Finance Committee. Thursday was her last day as Democratic staff digital director for the Joint Economic Committee. Larry Burton recently started as chief of staff for Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska). He most recently was COO at the American Council of Life Insurers.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The Senate and the House both return Monday, Oct. 23.

AROUND THE HILL - All quiet on our end. See you guys Monday!

THURSDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Roberto Fierro was first to guess that Sen. Ellison Smith, a Democrat from South Carolina, was the first senator in the minority party elected to lead a major committee. Smith won the chairmanship for the Senate Interstate Commerce Committee when progressive Republicans joined with Democrats to give him the gavel after 32 ballots in an effort to deny the then-chairman, GOP Sen. Albert Cummins, another term. The Senate historian with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=42f8ecd976f07e9d9a319928fd34a4c1e66b46c0bec4e96c543cdb3532d96ee3ea9cc44b9a2c5bd8a9d56cb81ce2104b

TODAY'S TRIVIA - This former senator, who switched parties shortly after being elected to his/her first term, also had careers in the military and as a jewelry designer in addition to being a champion athlete in this sport. Name the senator and the sport. Send your best guess my way: hcaygle@politico.com. The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle.

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** A message from the National Confectioners Association - #AlwaysATreat: We've always created transparent, fun, and great-tasting treats. By 2022, Mars Wrigley Confectionery, Nestlé USA, Ferrero, Lindt, Ghirardelli, Russell Stover, and Ferrara Candy Company will work together to make half of their individually wrapped products available in sizes that contain 200 calories or less per pack. And, 90 percent of the best-selling treats made by these companies will have calorie information printed right on the front of the pack. During the same time period, the newly established AlwaysATreat.com will evolve into a digital resource full of easy-to-use information for consumers to better
understand the unique role that chocolate and candy can play in a happy, balanced lifestyle. Learn more at AlwaysATreat.com. **

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