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11/15/2018 08:02 AM EDT


By Nolan D. McCaskill (nmccaskill@politico.com or @NolanDMcCaskill)

PELOSI CHALLENGE COMING? -- Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) is considering challenging House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for the speaker's gavel. Fudge, who is among 17 members and members-elect who have signed a letter pledging to oppose Pelosi on the House floor, believes the California Democrat will fall short of the 218 votes she will need on Jan. 3 to become speaker. "The letter does not include signatures from several other incoming freshmen who have said they will not back Pelosi on the floor but are uncomfortable signing at the moment," Rachael and I report.

Pelosi continued projecting confidence Wednesday, telling reporters she will be speaker regardless of what her critics say. Her allies believe they can pick off potential signatories with promises of committee posts or other prime positions. "But Pelosi's critics argue that their numbers are growing, not shrinking," we write. "And they're trying to encourage the freshmen ... not to cave to the arm-twisting tactics Pelosi has perfected over three decades in Congress." Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), who challenged Pelosi for Democratic leader in 2016, has warned that incoming members who break their campaign promise to constituents to oppose Pelosi could cost House Democrats their new majority.
More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03b20d447eef91f9e12fec829ee8273176e03d99852242c1329591479d6d482152d0c1d4d3cc19f6032

Related: Fudge tells Cleveland.com's Sabrina Eaton that Pelosi lacks the votes: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03b2e4d2b6a50bdfe7ffd27ecdc9d48ba3da7fcdb5a347480a8e91b78ba6023508e53c01790345e3982

CORTEZ MASTO TO CHAIR DSCC -- Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) is expected to be named DSCC chair today. The position "would raise her national profile as the leader of the Senate Democrats' effort to win back the majority in 2020," The Nevada Independent's Humberto Sanchez notes. "The upside of the post is that the DSCC chair builds a lot of goodwill within the caucus and with senators whom they help win elections, which could serve the campaign committee chief well in any fight for a leadership position. The DSCC chair also builds national fundraising connections that could aid in a run for higher office or for president." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03b79705c68ab471b6df9e3fdcd19761ca5acd7ac93b85760f7cfa71b80cfb4f25567d7692c9df7f55c

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) was elected Senate Republican Conference vice chair over Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.). Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) were reelected as their party leaders via voice vote. "Several other significant but expected moves took place in the GOP caucus, mostly involving promotions for existing Senate leaders," Burgess adds. More on that: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03bd252228893dc26c02c3080ee93d132eb1454f753917deea974e04330605755bfef04504f6f2babfb

Related read: "Sinema: I would have considered 'new leadership' if Schumer had a challenger," by Marianne Levine and Burgess: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03b91f3f508f5e4962b8562cf696d0c133ce84b904539fb44943fa19d20c5e178b62d6de6ff9481955b

THE REPUBLICAN RESISTANCE -- The incoming House GOP minority is vowing to resist Democrats' agenda and take back the House in 2020. "In his first news conference after Republicans chose him to be House minority leader next year, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) largely attributed the GOP wipeout to historical trends while also repeatedly blaming spending by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg as the cause of several Republican defeats in close contests," Kyle, Bres and Sarah Ferris report. McCarthy easily beat back a challenge from Freedom Caucus co-founder Jim Jordan for minority leader.

"House Republicans also filled out the rest of their leadership team for the new Congress with few surprises," they note. "Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana will be minority whip, and Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming -- a rising star in the party and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney -- will be Republican Conference chairwoman. Rep. Mark Walker of North Carolina will be vice chair and Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota will chair the National Republican Campaign Committee. Rep. Gary Palmer of Alabama will lead the Republican Policy Committee." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03bcb5c49c3ff075df6f8fac03fa06c91c52d73b67e182b88c438b1d9dc18697fd8abb4d376d513e6bc

Related: "The Minority Leader's Only Job," from The Wall Street Journal editorial board: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03bbf6114e21be0da0e358eea6756ca3056dc17b4b2e11468f035374f68e6492245e6035d7119f8ad0d and "House Republicans to Consider Changing the Way They Select Committee Leaders," via Roll Call's Lindsey McPherson: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03bdeb2a610e2cb18ea6c59b6b67c9d4fafaecd0294a10a27fb1ef39e4f5b65a34325726bf7f2d017f6

GOOD MORNING! Thanks for reading Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, Nov. 15.

WEDNESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: The Atlantic's report on why young, talented Democrats leave the House was the big winner.

** A message from the American Clinical Laboratory Association: Millions of seniors depend on lab tests to manage medical conditions and stay healthy. Deep cuts to Medicare lab services made in 2018, and growing in 2019, further jeopardize seniors' access to the care they need. Congress must act now to protect America's seniors. Learn More. **

TRUMP TO MISSISSIPPI? -- The president is weighing a trip to Mississippi for Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) ahead of her Nov. 27 runoff against Democrat Mike Espy. The NRSC is also planning to spend at least $1 million on TV ads. "The burst of activity follows the release of a video last weekend showing ... Hyde-Smith joking that if she were invited by one of her supporters to a 'public hanging,' she would be in 'the front row,'" Alex Isenstadt writes. "Party officials stressed that plans for a Trump rally weren't yet finalized, but several people involved in the talks said they expect the event to take place on the eve of the runoff." More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03bb6a4a0a364f8d2260277403a29663aa2683abb286a8f93af51bcb2caba9b3ef5276b89a825a2da0c

WHITE HOUSE WEIGHS IN ON SPENDING NEGOTIATIONS -- The White House wants Republicans to dare Democrats to oppose funding the president's border wall and shut down the government. Shahira Knight, the legislative affairs director, told Republicans this week to draft one spending package that includes border wall funding. The package would also include emergency funding for this year's wildfires and hurricanes. "The White House tactic would try to force Democrats to choose between funding the wall and shutting down more than a dozen agencies, including Homeland Security, just days before Christmas," Sarah Ferris and Bres report.

"GOP lawmakers could also hit Democrats for voting against disaster aid amid an ongoing wildfire crisis in California, where at least 48 people have died," they note. McConnell and Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) are expected to meet privately with the president at the White House today. Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) and his newly elected successor, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), were also invited. Congress has until Dec. 7 to fund the rest of the government to avoid a partial shutdown. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03b3d26cb4fff9ecedc3551a1d649e4f22af12e1bc9d1bb59ba57dcbcf97b8fcd607bfa891a9f203fc3

Related: "Schumer to Trump: Stay out of budget talks," by Marianne Levine: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03b70293896449fd0645dd0e285d4ea04a3e64c86c7b3da9377718438d495795913b4719708f6882af6

TRUMP BACKS CRIMINAL JUSTICE BILL -- The president has endorsed a criminal justice reform bill, brightening its prospects for passage, though it's unclear whether it could pass the Senate. "Reformers like Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) back the legislation, while others like Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) call it a 'jailbreak' bill, and some prominent liberal Democrats have yet to lend their support to the agreement," Andrew Restuccia, Elana and Burgess report. "McConnell isn't making any commitments to move a criminal justice proposal in the lame-duck session, saying Wednesday that he needs to see final legislative language, then gauge support for the bill among his 51-member
caucus and then see whether the Senate has time to squeeze it onto the calendar." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03b185eb551fe423a0d5171222bc9aa878f1f4d19ad85d2c398c296f69e073c943af48edb9d3cf4c8dd

Related read: "Shorter Sentences, More Judicial Leeway: What the Criminal Justice Bill Would Do," from The New York Times' Eileen Sullivan: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03beb790abf8c37d16bd117a9fd38715918665fe259b2fdf58478a8d4a91545b1a9332a1c51578591e8

FLAKE'S MUELLER PROTECTION GAMBIT -- Retiring Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) is threatening to oppose the president's judicial nominees until Senate Republican leaders allow a vote on legislation to protect special counsel Robert Mueller from being ousted. "Flake announced his move during a failed attempt to get unanimous consent for a vote on the bill designed to shield Mueller from being fired by Trump," Elana and Marianne Levine write. "His gambit promises to make trouble -- but not an insurmountable amount -- for fellow Republicans as they churn ahead with a blistering pace of confirming Trump's judges." Republicans have an 11-10 majority on the Judiciary Committee and a 51-49 majority on
the full floor.

"Twenty judicial nominees are currently waiting for a vote in the Judiciary panel, in addition to another nominee still awaiting a hearing, and 32 nominees have already cleared committee but not yet gotten a floor vote," they add. "McConnell can seek to bring nominees straight to the floor without a favorable verdict from the Judiciary Committee -- although such moves are rare. And with Vice President Mike Pence breaking a tie, it's possible to confirm the nominees already teed up for a floor vote without Flake's support." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03b6c4be24f0c761fdcbe60703fc2b2fc153219a565c7525cf4c5dc449a1448d00dcd90729d4660a4c6

Related: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Blocks Vote on Bill That Would Protect Mueller," via The Wall Street Journal's Natalie Andrews: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03b059ee008ba2a697e5bdfe39c0b0a1270cf8990617939e472739c86caad935334d73ba8b7f5a9d89a

ROMNEY PUSHES FOR COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS -- Sen.-elect Mitt Romney (R-Utah) is eyeing slots on the Finance, Commerce and Foreign Relations committees. Each panel has a Republican who is leaving in January: Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) are retiring, and Commerce Committee member Dean Heller (R-Nev.) lost reelection. "Before every Congress officially begins, lawmakers have a chance to ask for specific committee assignments," CNBC's Brian Schwartz writes. "Freshman lawmakers ... usually are last in line and don't always get what they want. However, people around Romney ... said the connections he has made to GOP
leaders throughout the last decade could help him as he looks to join the committees." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03b6b4d1e0b6e74c7413d9509f6c1ff5b97055d53f6df271e3688aad77821a2ebb0ca2300e132fda865

ALL BUT OVER IN FLORIDA? -- An automatic recount in Florida's Senate race between incumbent Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Gov. Rick Scott is set to end today. A manual recount, however, is likely the next step. "But experts say Nelson faces long odds in his bid to flip the results in the race," Marc Caputo reports. "Nelson has two major problems, experts say: Nelson's lawsuits were filed so late and courts generally frown on last-minute post-election changes, and the margin he trails Scott by is so big that even expanding the pool of available ballots to count makes it highly unlikely that Nelson could make up enough ground." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03b82d6265d81729b2019c464d42abba04218a7b34899cff62d11be44d916503765e5932c95e050611b

Related reads: "Rick Scott will recuse himself from certifying the results of his own election," by the Tampa Bay Times' Lawrence Mower: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03bc0ff96cc1ae192597e767b68ffed078d2406e1cd6c30446306fc4a9bb0be9da8e789658d4bee9776 and "Federal prosecutors reviewing altered election documents tied to Florida Democrats," from Matt Dixon: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03b49c01dde6d5e9b5a3e6666e4c51a4d09d7d81491726d860899134339e49b9dfab2d3999a005f7032

MACARTHUR LOSES SEAT -- Democrat Andy Kim, a former national security aide in the Obama administration, defeated Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.), who drafted a key amendment in the GOP's Obamacare repeal effort. "The victory by Mr. Kim caps a devastating midterm election for Republicans in New Jersey," The New York Times' Nick Corasaniti reports. "With 11 Democrats now holding House seats, Representative Chris Smith is the lone Republican in Washington from New Jersey; the last time Democrats had such a large advantage Woodrow Wilson was in the Oval Office." Kim is eyeing a seat on the Armed Services Committee. Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is located in his district. More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03b16d3533e3575c98854e799f5e2097a0fb924306887cb614a3da4eb212079b8da762c18ac30175d81

2020 WATCH -- The Congressional Black Caucus signaled its unhappiness Wednesday with the DNC's reforms scaling back the power and influence of superdelegates, passing a vote of no confidence in Tom Perez as DNC chair. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) raised the issue, which led to a debate members described as "heated" and "controversial." "CBC members said some of them were wary about voting no confidence in Perez so quickly after voters across the country gave House Democrats the majority for the first time in eight years," Bres and I report. "A lot of members said, 'We don't want to be put in position to run against the people who just voted for us,'" Rep. Al Lawson (D-Fla.) said. Much
more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03bbcfebc2abb91a64acb073ddda6faa1a40d2c6167086eb9b95a586ae4b2a9005fc25f7a973acee2ba

IG STARS OF THE HILL -- Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) have only been on Capitol Hill a few days, but they've already shown they can teach their soon-to-be colleagues a thing or two. "By providing up-close-and-personal photos and short videos of the new member orientation process on Instagram, [the] four newly-elected Democratic women of color ... are amassing followings that dwarf most members of Congress," Stephanie Murray reports. Ocasio-Cortez has 572,000 followers, more than Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Speaker Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) combined 267,000.

"All of them have capitalized on the rush of interest in the new Democratic House majority elected last week. But they've also tapped into a vein of interest in their own historic elections and their collective power," she writes. "Despite Instagram's popularity among millennials and young Americans, many House members don't even have an Instagram presence. Nearly all members are on Facebook or Twitter (about 98 percent), but only about half (47 percent) are on Instagram, according to an October report from the Congressional Research Service." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03bd0939098ee39018cf0a24a9cffdb0a1f9f6fe88e2c35fd5fa9d5b18fbd4b5b0d9735ed6f3afddd4f

Related: "Delay, Deny and Deflect: How Facebook's Leaders Fought Through Crisis," by The New York Times' Sheera Frenkel, Nicholas Confessore, Cecilia Kang, Matthew Rosenberg and Jack Nicas: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c5da92c07fb1b03b78c792d042b380c52a1518029f8014e3f5e902b90a7a0f87af9fe6a7e4cc73e3071f63c7e05ff733

TODAY IN CONGRESS -- The House gavels in at 10 a.m. No votes are expected today. The Senate meets at 10 a.m. At 11 a.m., Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) will be recognized to make a motion to discharge a joint resolution of disapproval on arms sales to Bahrain. At 12:15 p.m., the chamber will vote in relation to the motion to discharge and resume consideration of Michelle Bowman to be a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

AROUND THE HILL -- The House Administration Committee will hold a member-elect welcome briefing at 10:30 a.m. in the CVC-Auditorium.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will hold her weekly news conference at 10:45 a.m. in HVC-Studio A.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) will hold a conference call briefing with Walmart workers to announce the Stop WALMART Act, the latest effort to raise wages at large, profitable corporations, beginning at 11 a.m. RSVP here for the dial-in information.

The House Democratic Caucus will hold a closed meeting on party matters beginning at 1 p.m. in HC-5.

Reps. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) and Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) will hold a news conference to urge increased awareness and protection for the black LGBTQ community from discrimination, abuse and violence at 1 p.m. in the House Triangle.

Reps. Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.) and Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) will hold a briefing on elections and human rights in Bangladesh at 2:30 p.m. in 2200 Rayburn.

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) will host a roundtable with members of Congress, civil rights advocates and student leaders to discuss Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' attacks on civil rights protections for students at 3:30 p.m. in 421 Cannon.

Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) will host a roundtable discussion that will examine economic stressors continuing to face a subset of cities and towns where millions of American families live at 3:30 p.m. in 2360 Rayburn.

Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) will be honored by ASOP Global for their efforts to protect consumers from bad actors illegally selling opioids and other prescription drugs online at 4:30 p.m. in 385 Russell.

WEDNESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER -- No one correctly guessed that Emily Donelson was the first lady who was married to her first cousin, Andrew Jackson Donelson. She served as first lady to President Andrew Jackson.

TODAY'S TRIVIA -- Before Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who was the House's last Democratic minority leader? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess my way: nmccaskill@politico.com.

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** A message from the American Clinical Laboratory Association: America's seniors depend on reliable access to clinical laboratories to ensure effective monitoring, diagnosis and management of their medical conditions. Last year, CMS made deep cuts to Medicare lab services putting this access at risk. Unfortunately in 2019 seniors will face another round of drastic cuts to lab tests including tests for some of the most commonly diagnosed conditions like diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Recently CMS has made some changes, but those changes do not stop the next two years of double-digit cuts. Millions of beneficiaries are counting on action from Congress to ensure they have access to the
lab tests they need. It's time to make sure the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) is implemented in the right way. Learn More. **

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