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03/08/2017 08:02 AM EDT


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

With an assist from John Bresnahan

PELOSI'S LAST STAND: SAVING OBAMACARE - At a closed-door meeting last month, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi mused to several of her colleagues that had Hillary Clinton won the election, she'd planned to leave Congress, confident Obamacare would stay intact and continue to provide coverage to millions of people. But with Donald Trump's victory, the core of Pelosi's legacy is facing imminent destruction. "Clearly, Obamacare is part of Nancy's legacy," Rep. Gerry Connolly told Huddle. "If Hillary had won, [Pelosi] probably would have been offered the ambassadorship to Rome and lived happily ever after."

Now Pelosi is girding for battle without the key allies - Harry Reid and Barack Obama - who helped her muscle through the law seven years ago. "The Affordable Care Act is important for all of our legacies, including President Obama's," Pelosi told Huddle. Yours truly and Bres with more on what she's doing behind the scenes to save the law: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d17d8803b13da519f0db47a74001334d63dc75063343a4a4372fe0b2859106ea53a64e9e16ad88d5aa3f1ef0dc4f6dde

ROLLING RIGHT ALONG - The Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means Committees kick off what are anticipated to be marathon markups of the Obamacare repeal bill today at 10:30 a.m. Democrats are expected to offer somewhere around 150 amendments for the E&C markup in an attempt to slow down the process and force Republicans to take votes on issues they'd rather ignore. "That's what 5-hour energies are for," said one Republican lawmaker on the panel.

No score, big problems: Democrats have blasted Republicans for moving ahead without first seeing a score of the bill from the nonpartisan CBO, something aides now say is expected early next week. Republicans have launched a preemptive strike against forthcoming CBO predictions on the bill's price tag and estimates of how many people will lose their insurance, Jen Haberkorn reports.

Takes one to know one: But Democrats point out that the CBO score really mattered to Republicans back in 2009, when the shoe was on the other foot: "Before Congress changes health care as the American people know it, we must know the likely consequences of the House Democrat legislation, including the number of people who would lose access to their current insurance," top House Republicans, including then-Budget Committee ranking member Paul Ryan wrote to CBO in 2009.

YOU NEED VOTES? DON'T LOOK AT US - The White House dispatched its top lieutenants to the Hill Tuesday to try and convince rowdy conservatives to fall in line behind the repeal. Members of the House Freedom Caucus left an afternoon meeting with Mike Pence still defiant in their opposition to the House plan. OMB Director Mick Mulvaney (a founding HFC member) met with the Freedom Caucus Tuesday night. The message: The White House is open to changes and encouraged HFC members to try and amend the bill in committee and on the floor.

Will that be enough? Freedom Caucus member Mo Brooks said "right now, the speaker of the House does not have the votes to pass this bill unless it's got substantial Democrat support."

Spoiler alert: No Dem will vote for this bill and with 5 vacancies in the House, Speaker Ryan needs to get 216 votes for passage.

To watch: Keep an eye on how much President Trump uses his bully pulpit to coax rebellious lawmakers into line. He tweeted at Sen. Rand Paul Tuesday night encouraging his support after Paul, one of the proposal's most vocal opponents, declared the bill "dead on arrival" earlier in the day. Rachael and Kyle with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d17d8803b13da5198ae2d521fb0d1de5a0f15437a194ed68a7327c6b0857a64d41ce0f514f3bd5d8d7ab77f476e1cb53

Keeping track of who's opposed: The AARP came out in full opposition to the House repeal plan Tuesday night and the flank of conservative groups from Heritage Action to FreedomWorks to Club for Growth are also all opposed.

Roadblocks on the path to passage: Kyle and Adam Cancryn list the biggest obstacles standing in GOP leaders' way: 1. The price tag 2. Revolt on the right 3. Senate moderates holding out 4. Unpredictable Donald Trump 5. State pushback on Medicaid 6. Cold feet from the industry and 7. The politics of 2018. Read more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d17d8803b13da519d400a51a8deae473f63b6a6e364b33f56f3a00ae576e53c59826c9ad845c3215ac27827d79d9df69

THE BOTTOM LINE: House Republican leaders are worried about one thing: getting enough votes to pass the bill. GOP leaders are still confident the repeal plan will pass the House when it comes to the floor in a few weeks but they know they can't let conservatives gin up any momentum to sink the plan in the meantime. "We'll have 218 when this thing comes to the floor. I can guarantee you that," House Speaker Paul Ryan said Tuesday.

** A message from Drug Benefit Solutions: From negotiating rebates and discounts from drug companies and drugstores to reducing waste and offering services like home delivery of medicines, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) use a number of tools to reduce drug costs and improve quality. Watch the video at DrugBenefitSolutions.com. **

MEANWHILE, ACROSS THE CAPITOL - Senate Republican leaders are planning to jam through the repeal plan "if and when it passes the House - warning there may be no drawn out debate or extensive input from lawmakers," Burgess reports. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell can only afford to lose two Republicans and so far, eight senators on his side have loudly complained about the bill's direction.

Taking notes and breaking arms: "At a private GOP lunch with Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday, negotiators took notes on how the bill can be altered to shore up Senate support, aiming to advise House committees on how to amend the bill Wednesday to smooth its passage through the upper chamber," Burgess reports. "Senior GOP sources said the leadership team will employ an 'arm-breaking' whip strategy to get the required 50 votes. But more than half a dozen senators interviewed Tuesday were noncommittal about backing the Republican plan." Much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d17d8803b13da519d5b70457ada911c033c89bcdb9c52464a92e9628503c2117214fd72f55143f42eb464902c266b0c9

PEREZ HUDDLES WITH DEMS - New Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez will join House Democrats at their weekly caucus meeting this morning.

WOOHOO WEDNESDAY. Welcome to March 8. Thanks for reading POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill.

TUESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Rachael's story about conservatives panning the Obamacare repeal bill got the most clicks.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS - The House Intelligence Committee will have its first open hearing March 20 on the panel's probe into Russian meddling in the election. Intel Chairman Devin Nunes said former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former acting Attorney General Sally Yates, who was fired by Trump in January after refusing to defend his travel ban, have all been asked to testify. FBI Director James Comey and NSA Director Mike Rogers were also asked to testify.

The Senate Intel Committee will begin questioning witnesses behind closed doors "in the coming days and weeks," Austin and Martin Matishak report.

Field trip: The CIA is now providing raw intelligence documents related to its Russia probe to House and Senate Intel committee members. Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr and Majority Whip John Cornyn visited CIA headquarters in Langley, Va., on Monday and Sen. Mark Warner, Intel's top Democrat, plans to go there today. Nunes said members of his panel have been out there as well. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d17d8803b13da519b6bfa16fa359fff9e68935f29be0e9ee8eea1ee9c4b53ff5483923c0671bc0bdf83d04b8c3802b98

DON'T YOU WORRY 'BOUT A THING - Attorney General Jeff Sessions' Russia recusal dominated Tuesday's confirmation hearing for Rod Rosenstein, the president's pick to be the department's No. 2. In one contentious exchange, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley accused Sen. Al Franken of asking a "gotcha" question to Sessions that prompted his now-infamous response about communicating with Russians, Seung Min reports. Meanwhile, Rosenstein said he sees no reason to need to recuse himself from leading a DOJ probe into Russia. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d17d8803b13da51990fd9ac9b4814675021f53895ce85df52b4d910edc9ec55b22e4115a342874406efc6843e095d463

Franken later said on CNN he's now convinced Sessions committed perjury during his confirmation hearings. "It's hard to come to any other conclusion than he just perjured himself," Franken said. Eli Watkins: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d17d8803b13da51989f667c5ed79ac6e4765713656a354e31fa03a3e093904cb19c41a1a8b0da5b505231edabb715917

CAN I GET YOUR DIGITS? Sen. Lindsey Graham left lunch with Trump Tuesday saying the president's promise to boost military funding was "music to my ears." And Graham was feeling so good about the meeting, he even gave Trump his new cell phone number. You'll remember Trump famously gave out Graham's cell phone number at a campaign rally after the South Carolina senator called the future president a "jackass."

TODAY IN AWKWARD - "Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, under consideration to be the U.S. ambassador to Russia, glad-handed his way through the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, joined by Sen. Orrin Hatch, whom he wouldn't rule out running against in 2018." The Salt Lake Tribune: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d17d8803b13da5194c13a5f1b97b2e6334b182269e691fb1916e38ef5674b8153f21021d489d4f23fa7f35a0436d29cf

YOU LIKE IT, YOU REALLY LIKE IT - "Sens. David Perdue and Tom Cotton headed to the White House on Tuesday, ready to discuss their new legislation to slash legal immigration during their private policy discussion with President Donald Trump. Turns out, the president didn't need to be briefed. 'He knew all about it,' Perdue recalled Tuesday afternoon," Seung Min reports. Perdue and Cotton both left the meeting encouraged by Trump's reception to their plan. SMK: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d17d8803b13da51952bd465db2554334ee1972edeb96232418b67bcfd32b4b5f33d9b78330801f93b99eede63a0f917c

AMBASSADOR HOPEFUL DISSES J STREET - Liberal Jewish advocacy group J Street is demanding a meeting with Trump's nominee to be ambassador to Israel, saying that David Friedman is ignoring their request after agreeing to meet with the group he sharply criticized last year. Friedman's nomination might come up for a Senate vote this month and his decision to meet with J Street could determine whether he gets Democratic support. Burgess with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d17d8803b13da51960c65367356ce5b05172996c38f365ea9c9c6ce3e5334c96a7a7601c0190b4eecac1ba72ca1a4281

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House meets at 10 a.m. The Senate convenes at 9:30 a.m.

AROUND THE HILL - House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley speaks to reporters after Democrats' weekly caucus meeting at 9:45 a.m. in the HVC-215 alcove. House Speaker Paul Ryan and other GOP leaders hold a press avail after their weekly conference meeting in the lobby of the RNC at 10 a.m.

Sen. Al Franken hosts the seventh annual Minnesota delegation's "hotdish" competition starting at 11:30 a.m. in Dirksen-430. For those not from the Midwest (aka your Huddle host), a hotdish is apparently akin to a casserole. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Reps. Collin Peterson, Betty McCollum, Keith Ellison, Tim Walz, Rick Nolan, Erik Paulsen, Tom Emmer and Jason Lewis are expected to participate.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and members of the Democratic Women's Working Group hold a press event on "A Day without a Woman" at 12:30 p.m. on the Capitol steps. Reps. Roger Williams and Mike Doyle, chairmen of the Congressional Baseball Caucus, host a reception at 6 p.m. in the Library of Congress' Thomas Jefferson Building.

OFF THE HILL - President Trump meets with Reps. Elijah Cummings and Peter Welch to talk prescription drug pricing at 2:30 p.m. in the Oval Office. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan meet with Trump and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke at 4 p.m. Trump meets with conservatives on the Obamacare repeal plan at 5:05 p.m. And Sen. Ted Cruz and his wife have dinner with the president and first lady at 6:30 p.m.

ARRIVAL LOUNGE - Sarah Dolan, former press secretary for Sen. Mark Kirk and a communications aide for Gov. Chris Christie, has joined the National Restaurant Association as director of media relations.

-Geoff Burgan has left his job as press secretary for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz for a new gig as communications director for Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum's gubernatorial campaign.

WOMEN RULE NEWSLETTER AND PODCAST - POLITICO launches a monthly newsletter dedicated to exploring women's leadership in politics, policy, and in their communities. The first edition of the newsletter features updates on members of the Women Rule community as well as the first Women Rule podcast with POLITICO's Editor Carrie Budoff Brown, Sen. Deb Fischer, and Valerie Jarrett. Listen to the Women Rule podcast here. Sign up to receive the Women Rule newsletter here.

TUESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Eli Schechner was the first to guess that Capitol Hill police officer Frank Jones was nearly knocked out of his chair in 1915 after a bomb planted by Erich Muenter exploded near the Senate switchboard. Muenter later said he was protesting U.S. involvement in World War I.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Eli with today's question: How many current senators were born in cities in which the United States currently has an embassy, who are they and where were they born? 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

SMART SOLUTIONS TO THE OBESITY CRISIS? An astonishing 50 percent of American adults will be obese as soon as 2030, with medical and financial costs that threaten to sink American health care regardless of what Washington does. Today, Agenda 2020, POLITICO's running project on America's long-term policy future, asks what we can we do now to head off a future disaster. Read more about a bold experiment to prove that a whole county can lose weight if they do it together. Also: Vegetable research | The heaviest city in America | Video: Evil genius of the buffalo chicken wing.

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** A message from Drug Benefit Solutions: Drug price transparency means different things to different people. The wrong kind of transparency would give drug companies inside information that could lead to higher costs. Get the facts at DrugBenefitSolutions.com. **

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