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02/21/2017 07:54 AM EDT


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

With an assist from Daniel Lippman

WELCOME BACK after a long weekend, Huddle readers. Capitol Hill should be quiet during the first recess since President Trump's inauguration (the short week helps), but both Republicans and Democrats are expected to feel the heat back home on everything from Obamacare to the Supreme Court vacancy.

GORSUCH GOT GAME - Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch and his allies have launched a full-court charm offensive to woo reluctant Democrats who are soured by the Merrick Garland fight last year but necessary for Gorsuch's confirmation. In nearly 60 meetings since he was nominated three weeks ago, Gorsuch has tried to relate to senators one-on-one, mentioning key cases, justices and issues they care about, Seung Min reports. But it's not all talk about legal mumbo jumbo. Gorsuch also chatted senators up about rafting and fishing and there's multiple photos of him petting cute puppies in the Capitol hallways. The goal? Keep all 52 Republicans in line and pick off eight Democrats needed for
confirmation. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa79254c542f8ae980792f0c29f245741da004feeb64aa7179f7c67965471e30c8e94435a29b591457da2ae74c9224bd

Feeling the heat back home too: A bloc of conservative groups is organizing events around the country this week focused on vulnerable Democrats key to Gorsuch's confirmation. "The Judicial Crisis Network has arranged events aimed squarely at vulnerable Senate Democrats up for reelection in 2018 in red and purple states: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Indiana, Montana, Michigan, Florida, Missouri and West Virginia," Burgess reports: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa79254c542f8ae9ff890cd1a6c921ea65bb8d4ee84df38521687a76faded9c5cb2940d205f1bcc5e01988821bc2087f

And a new poll out this morning from the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (conducted by Public Policy Polling) found that in battleground states, the Democratic argument that Gorsuch has sided with big business over workers in his judicial career plays better than lawmakers saying Trump stole the Supreme Court vacancy from Garland.

NEW SECURITY ADVISER: AN OLIVE BRANCH TO CONGRESS? H.R. McMaster, Trump's pick to replace Michael Flynn as national security adviser, could score the commander-in-chief some major brownie points with Congress after a rocky early tenure. Not only has McMaster "staked out a decidedly more hawkish position on Russia and gone out of his way to assert that the war against terrorism must not morph into a war against Islam," Austin Wright and Jeremy Herb report, but he has some big fans on Capitol Hill including defense hawks like Sens. John McCain and Tom Cotton. Much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa79254c542f8ae90c30c3925f938e1bf7baaab21f6108e9be2bec254d1459eb705871b315008ae178a2ab0c42855ad3

The Cotton connection: Cotton, an Army veteran who served under McMaster, actually reached out to the White House to float his name after Flynn stepped down, reports the New York Times. They go way back, it turns out: "One protégé from that time was Mr. Cotton, who nearly resigned from the Army in 2007 when it looked as though General McMaster might be forced out," Peter Baker and Michael Gordon report. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa79254c542f8ae97138890d28c160f36de19754cc08b72ab333267d43946d8c0d3834988bfd55ad05e270bff56e5072

Before McMaster was announced, McCain spent the weekend delivering a forceful critique of Trump both at a security conference overseas and on Sunday shows back in the states. "In many respects, this administration is in disarray, and they've got a lot of work to do," McCain said in Munich Friday. And on "Meet the Press" Sunday: "'The first thing that dictators do is shut down the press,' he said, adding that while he was not calling the president a dictator, 'we need to learn the lessons of history.'" Michael Gordon again: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa79254c542f8ae9af7ef4e70f6f1eb90f7ccb56d69bb535c5b9f644151fb3a785da7157eecefed8a1c5e412003bd2df

A LITTLE HELP OVER HERE? After watching what happened with former Labor secretary nominee Andrew Puzder, who withdrew last week after being dogged by several controversial allegations, candidates for top jobs in the Trump administration are spooked the White House isn't doing enough to protect its nominees from grueling Senate confirmations.

Chilling effect: "The concerns are affecting not only some of the highest profile nominations, including agriculture secretary pick Sonny Perdue, but also candidates for ambassadorships, judicial positions and a range of other nominees," report Tara Palmeri and Andrew Restuccia. "The chill that's settled in even has some people considering bowing out of contention." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa79254c542f8ae92babdc56e1f95feb6f25a42addbec09a06ef3b7634650c29dfd228e161c82fb7602169e8079cb388

PRO-IMMIGRATION PUSH THIS WEEK - "The Partnership for a New American Economy, the advocacy group led by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has recruited a number of congressional Republicans and Democrats to headline events promoting immigration across the country," this week, Seung Min reports.

Who's who: "Some are well-known proponents of immigration reform, such as Florida Republican Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Carlos Curbelo. But the Bloomberg group has also brought on a number of GOP lawmakers who haven't so far been marquee names in the immigration battle, including several from agriculture-heavy states: Oklahoma Reps. Frank Lucas and Steve Russell, and Georgia Reps. Doug Collins, Austin Scott and Drew Ferguson." SMK with the deets: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa79254c542f8ae9e8b5cb35375b0540020b6f4c4364da99a796b429d288b2830361a88f4df3075b3f1bddd4df80ec9b

TUESDAY IS THE NEW MONDAY. Welcome to February 21. Thanks for reading POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill.

FRIDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Rachael, Burgess and Eliana Johnson's story about Paul Ryan's tax reform troubles

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House and Senate are out.

AROUND THE HILL - Ahh, welcome to recess my friends.

COMING ATTRACTIONS - "White House chief of staff Reince Priebus told The Associated Press that he expects a health care plan to emerge in 'the first few days of March.' Pressed on whether the plan would be coming from the White House, Priebus said, 'We don't work in a vacuum,'" reports Julie Pace. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa79254c542f8ae9eb24bb0274207abdf026e6f1059d83a59fe5d067a4cfcf0c08832a0bf3b0e69bf57b31671ebdf705

SENATE INTEL DEMANDS RUSSIAN RECORD PRESERVATION - Senate Intel Committee leaders are demanding more than a dozen federal agencies and individuals preserve any and all records related to their investigation into Russian meddling in the U.S. election, according to letters sent late last week. A Senate aide confirmed over the weekend the letters were sent Friday, the same day senators were briefed on Russia by FBI Director James Comey in a closed-door meeting, report CNN's Eric Bradner and Manu Raju.

Quote du jour: "At a conference in Munich this weekend, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, declared, '2017 is going to be the year of kicking Russia in the ass in Congress.'" More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa79254c542f8ae929ae97a5cf3847ccbeb566d96e57d9a17b6d8fab9d4f6aef0bb188c58f942686371e0672709cf96b

** A message from SAVE MY CARE: Congress may be on recess now, but they have been plotting to take away health care for 30 million Americans-and we are watching. While representatives are home, Americans are letting Congress know just how much they depend on their health care at events across the country: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa79254c542f8ae988b5df2f67f1cbb928a80de96857efcc0cf0d82dfc2aa2402a41b1898c808517fe38c670cff74a25 **

And for those keeping track, top Democrats in the House and on the Senate Judiciary Committee made similar record preservation requests last week.

BUSTOS STAYING PUT - Illinois Rep. Cheri Bustos is ruling out a run for the governor's mansion, clearing the decks for deep-pocketed Democrats to vie for the chance to take on well-funded GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner in 2018. Bustos, who would have faced major funding hurdles in the race, made the announcement Monday after calling several Illinois Democratic party leaders about her decision.

Her first call? Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, who himself announced he wouldn't run for governor last fall. "I serve as a voice for the folks in the heartland who feel that they've been left behind," Bustos told Huddle in an interview Monday. More, with Natasha Korecki: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa79254c542f8ae9f883c7974ad2df296b4d81f7878bba7ed37f2525d4e66b6050dfa2ab4577916cf99e5e7757733d91

SENATORS IN BLUE JEANS, A SIGHT TO SEE - Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn led a group of GOP lawmakers to the border this weekend and you better believe they brought their best casual dress game complete with black jeans and cowboy hats. House Speaker Paul Ryan will lead his own delegation to the border tomorrow. The recent spate of trips comes as Republicans digest Trump's calls for a multi-billion dollar border wall to separate the U.S. and Mexico. The Monitor's Mitchell Ferman with more on Cornyn's trip (and a pic!): http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa79254c542f8ae92a202fea2f86c67d1a766d04cb1e25ac360d3623e4e4698677df6c816da959dcc044f6fd6033025d

SHH! DON'T SAY THE 'I' WORD - Congressional Democrats have held press conferences nearly every day recently to demand a federal investigation into any potential personal and financial ties between Trump and Russia. But there's one line most Democrats won't cross right now, even as their base clamors for it: impeachment. "Neither party leadership nor the campaign committees have circulated talking points or suggested ways to respond to impeachment questions that are starting to appear. But they are already aware of the potential electoral blowback to the party," Gabriel Debenedetti reports.

That hasn't stopped Republicans: "The mere mention of impeachment on the left has already kicked off a fundraising frenzy on the Republican side, with both the GOP House and Senate campaign wings raising cash off it - much like Democrats did under President Barack Obama when Republicans speculated about the prospect," he reports. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa79254c542f8ae98783d12d9def2785263ab15807f5c517803419ab27d8a9c8f18ed66506ecfc7c0ad87e2b5f8f6b60

NO TOWN HALL? WE'LL COME TO YOU - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who said last week he wasn't worried about "left-wing agitators" showing up at GOP town halls, will face his own home-state demonstrators Thursday. Hundreds of protesters are planning to rally outside of a Kentucky hotel where McConnell is set to address a local Chamber of Commerce meeting, according to the River City News. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa79254c542f8ae9b253026e3fd08bd60e14be0dcc92f5145d1002532da0029ba638cefebeabb33df496baa2cd92f44b

Related: Democratic super PAC Priorities USA is running its first ads since the election, using social media to inform local voters about GOP town halls in their area. Gabriel Debenedetti: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa79254c542f8ae9756bc3c214f6f8f16ef36511cafed4c9632ee8cc958447be89f8d3732ec4e6f5e9ead38f671c6534

AIN'T NO LOVE HERE - If there were any questions about whether House Speaker Paul Ryan's border adjustment plan had problems in the Senate, Sen. Lindsey Graham spelled it out loud and clear over the weekend. "'The Congress is stumbling. Republicans in the Congress - we're all tied up in knots,' Graham told CBS's 'Face the Nation' in an interview Sunday. 'The House is talking about a tax plan that won't get 10 votes in the Senate.'" The Hill's Alex Bolton: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa79254c542f8ae99ee3eaa890a9c5e8c58d1dfdc2d90452aaa3bf4a2ccc408d17f4e90be18aa8996390eafab3e13149

SPOTTED: Sens. Lindsey Graham and Roy Blunt Monday at the Hotel Adlon Kempinski in Berlin, right next to the Brandenburg Gate and the U.S. Embassy. (h/t @EuropeAdvisor)... Former Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) eating seafood and steak at Tadich Grill on Pennsylvania Avenue Monday night.

FRIDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Noah McCullough guessed that Thomas Jefferson was the president elected via an electoral tie breaker on Feb. 17, 1801. The 12th Amendment was ratified as a result of the constitutional crisis.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Noah with today's question: In honor of Presidents Day, when was the first time Congress raised the president's salary, and who was the first commander-in-chief to enjoy the paycheck boost? The first person to correctly answer gets a shout out in tomorrow's Huddle. And don't forget, send suggestions for trivia questions my way: hcaygle@politico.com

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** A message from SAVE MY CARE: Congress may be on recess now, but they have been plotting to take health care from 30 million Americans-and we are watching. Already, tens of thousands of concerned citizens have protested locally and on Capitol Hill, called their representatives, and attended town hall events to voice their concerns. Now, as senators and representatives spend time in their home states this week, constituents will demonstrate in person.

For the millions of people at risk and their families, there simply is no plan B if they lose coverage. That's why this life-and-death issue is spurring thousands to take action-and why citizens who have never even been politically active before are putting pressure on Congress. For recess and beyond, people will be standing up for their health care at town halls and other events: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa79254c542f8ae988b5df2f67f1cbb928a80de96857efcc0cf0d82dfc2aa2402a41b1898c808517fe38c670cff74a25 **

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