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10/23/2018 07:58 AM EDT


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

TRUMP, REPUBLICANS ESCALATE IMMIGRATION ISSUE -- President Donald Trump is escalating a GOP campaign to frame the midterm elections around immigration and race, stoking fears with a baseless claim that "unknown Middle Easterners" are marching toward the U.S. border with Mexico. "Mr. Trump and other Republicans are insistently seeking to tie Democrats to unfettered immigration and violent crime, and in some instances this summer and fall they have attacked minority candidates in nakedly racial terms," The New York Times' Alexander Burns and Astead W. Herndon report. "Mr. Trump is now railing daily in speeches and on Twitter against the migrant caravan moving north through Central America,
and on Monday called it a national emergency."

"That is an assault on our country and in that caravan you have some very bad people and we can't let that happen to our country," Trump said last night in Houston. He also claimed without evidence that Democrats may have been involved with the caravan. "In targeting the caravan, the president appears determined to end the election season with a cultural fight over national identity rather than the issues that party leaders initially wanted to run on, like tax cuts or the economy," they write. "But Mr. Trump has not been alone in seeking to divide the electorate along racial lines this fall." Much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3e5aafb04d1ff482c0fea736d085a05edb10a00c6c32dcd9827b28886573f899d488bc431a956cb37b0d16289ef04e9

Related: "Trump and Republicans settle on fear -- and falsehoods -- as a midterm strategy," by The Washington Post's Ashley Parker, Philip Rucker and Josh Dawsey: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3e5aafb04d1ff48ddd1904ab5e52b9e3db1cc8c802cf022868357309074d7a7fb2eec0feb08c1e02817352b50ea8cae and "Divided Democrats struggle to answer Trump's claims on migrant caravan," from The Washington Post's Sean Sullivan and David Nakamura: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3e5aafb04d1ff484b2871d2e8b986b0d972973e8ceea02750c9cbc1be5e3684d73afb066f082d4ed11859b18f66cdf1

THE STEP BACK -- The president's team earlier this month reviewed polling from congressional districts that were competitive in 2016. "They showed that border protection, safeguarding immigration officers and standing up to illegal immigration resonated with voters there," Christopher Cadelago and Ted Hesson report. "The president seized on the issues as winners for Republicans attempting to preserve their congressional majority." Trump has talked -- and tweeted -- about the caravan virtually nonstop. "In pressing the issue, Trump sees a twofold advantage," they add. "It's a way to argue that his opponents have 'turned a blind eye to the problem,' as one Republican working on the strategy
put it, and also an opportunity to rev up his base." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3e5aafb04d1ff486382096df640402c1a31d04390fffe8e23a46365cd7c1825834bc7375982a248df7c57e478656805

Related read: "Exclusive: President Trump vows to send as many troops to the border 'as necessary' to stop caravan," via USA Today's David Jackson, Susan Page and John Fritze: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3e5aafb04d1ff485fe44ac8b2f8139bce511f1869164f160728dcae2b34df95677dacc9b8de60fb773cff5ed5bee7dc

TRUMP'S MYSTERY TAX CUT -- The president keeps talking about a "major tax cut." But no one -- not White House officials or congressional leaders -- seems to know what he's talking about. "The pledge ... came as news to House and Senate lawmakers, who've already returned to their home states to campaign for the elections and have no plans to consider new legislation before then," Nancy Cook and Ben White note. "White House officials spent the day trying to decode what Trump meant because no one knew the substance of any such tax cut, or had seen any policy proposal related to it."

Trump said House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is involved, but Ryan's office referred questions to the White House. Trump told reporters the administration would produce a "resolution" calling for a 10 percent tax cut for middle-income earners. "It was not clear what he meant by resolution," they write. "There are no current plans in Congress for any kind of large new tax cut for the middle class." There's speculation that Trump is trying to one-up Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), who released a middle-class tax proposal last week. But no one really knows. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3e5aafb04d1ff48a5503dd4513035e8c5cf2a6496c8bc55d3ae7a63480d766ae0338843336ace6f5bd39116f7d52161

Related: "Trump wants new middle-class tax cut 'of about 10 percent,'" by Brian Faler: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3e5aafb04d1ff48483a61f912fc6adc7d7a979ac21d5ba0aaade0c37fdd4891b7ce54098a6ead62ce13e8dceda50ab3 and "Tax cuts a bust for Republicans in midterms," also from Brian Faler: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3e5aafb04d1ff48fbb2ed2a9c2a4cee4b1d50366a50d63affcc323d382210602c530772be271ad6b2bd281067a7a901

GOOD MORNING! Thanks for reading Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Tuesday, Oct. 23.

MONDAY'S MOST CLICKED: The Louisville Courier Journal's report on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), whose food was taken and dumped on the sidewalk, according to a witness, was the big winner.

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TO USE OR NOT TO USE? -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) hinted that subpoena power could be used "strategically" as a negotiating tool if Democrats win the House. "Subpoena power is interesting -- to use it, or not to use it?" she told CNN's Dana Bash at its CITIZEN Conference. "It's a great arrow to have in your quiver in terms of negotiating on other subjects." Subpoena power would allow House Democrats to compel Trump administration officials to testify before Congress. It "could be considered one of the most powerful tools Democrats would gain if they win in November," Dan Merica writes. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3e5aafb04d1ff48a773e9e18ed35ded6b1a6502542a2da38724264f6c5f8d0cbcdfd00031a94e5861f4a754528f13cc

Pelosi also rattled off reasons she should be speaker in the next Congress, including that she's "a great legislator," "politically astute" and "took them to a victory in 2006." "I know how to do this," she added. But she declined to say whether she intended to serve as a short-term leader, insisting that she won't "make myself a lame duck." "I think that I have a special understanding, institutional memory, knowledge of the substance, knowledge of the legislative process that holds me in good stead for now," Pelosi continued. "We will see what happens in the presidential coming up." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3e5aafb04d1ff48b5b324561407f960fd75f109d5574eb0c96c9c4802566891e1d9c23b011b3e1bf74ca0bfaf28a791

Related: "House Democrats consider how they would balance investigating and cooperating with Trump," by The Washington Post's Seung Min Kim: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3e5aafb04d1ff483f0a8ab5b70fc8cd63aa1cf16444ae76bb42a783118d01831ef785a4c6e84503ff709c4140e38712

MCCARTHY'S OFFICE VANDALIZED -- House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) Bakersfield office was vandalized by two men, according to the GOP leader's Instagram. McCarthy posted what appears to be security footage of the suspects and an image showing some of the damage. "Does anyone know these two guys?" he asked. "They threw a boulder thru our office window and took office equipment." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3e5aafb04d1ff48385becb9cd6e38e2661959179936a658191574be25bd9ffcad10090c591c1b2f60de79d2cbacd190

TRUMP TO WEST VIRGINIA? -- The president is considering a pre-election trip to West Virginia, where Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is holding on to a lead over state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey. "This president's been a difference-maker in this race," Morrisey said. "We think the president's going to come back." Donald Trump Jr. and former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle rallied for Morrisey on Monday. And Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) have also campaigned for him recently. The question is: What will the president do?

"There are only two weeks left until the election, and perhaps a half-dozen Senate races where Trump could help spur GOP turnout," Burgess writes. "Trump is said to be considering a visit to the southern part of West Virginia, where he is highly popular. But Manchin said it won't make a difference." Manchin said Morrisey is trying to make the election between him and Trump. "President Trump's not on the ballot," Manchin said. "Pat, you're on the ballot. Face up to it." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3e5aafb04d1ff48af545d8912f623c24e6e600ce1d7dde1bcf1759d02aeab43ecf771cfc0d61aaa1f6701c274d5e2f3

TRUMP BOOSTS TRIO OF REPUBLICANS -- The president is hosting a fundraiser Thursday for three GOP candidates running for open seats vacated by retiring Republican incumbents. The candidates are Jay Webber in New Jersey, Ross Spano in Florida and Carol Miller in West Virginia. "Trump has also recorded a robocall for Miller, a state legislator who is locked in a competitive race with Iraq War veteran Richard Ojeda," Alex Isenstadt reports. "Democrats are aggressively targeting over half of the [44] seats being vacated by Republicans, and GOP officials privately admit that some of those districts are lost causes." Webber, Spano and Miller have all been outraised by their Democratic challengers.
More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3e5aafb04d1ff48427e408d3b1da167723134ce7d8895a5d837ec2de4e98c532b46597cc7dfe23a524f03a15f80b210

PAY YOUR DUES -- House GOP leaders are counting on safe and retiring members to pay up to save the House. On a private call last week, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) urged lawmakers to donate to the NRCC or vulnerable colleagues. "The drive ... is focused on members with easy reelection campaigns or who are retiring from Congress next year -- people sitting on piles of cash that could be used to save vulnerable incumbents," Rachael and Bres report. "Leaders are targeting some powerful outgoing chairmen, typically the most prolific fundraisers, who haven't met their annual required 'dues' to the NRCC." More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3e5aafb04d1ff48e30bb83c00d6d1ac3e1518e98f7ca5b6862590ac0948336ce6923b075ba76a3e7e999254efd38e48

Related read: "Battleground House districts remain close in new poll," from The Washington Post's Dan Balz and Scott Clement: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3e5aafb04d1ff48ac343946af237ffa14b1402add8abfe57c22e5c1f30b33d3046a1a730e0143eec28ace9f1b14e112

BUILD THE WALL ... THROUGH RECONCILIATION -- Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.) has introduced a measure to use budget reconciliation to give the president as much as $25 billion to build his long-promised border wall. If it meets the upper chamber's reconciliation rules, the bill would allow Senate Republicans to pass wall funding with a simple-majority vote. "Neither chamber has passed a budget resolution this year," Roll Call's Lindsey McPherson writes, but party leaders "could easily put together a so-called shell budget for the purposes of providing reconciliation instructions for legislation to appropriate border wall funding." Whether GOP leaders pursue that, however, will likely hinge on
election results. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3e5aafb04d1ff48c7d93060e047614a89cda26dd51081ec5acccd83606d66bf940e30919c9d458049f7e6aa0a7137ac

NEW NICKNAME -- Out with the old. In with the new. The president has retired his "Lyin' Ted" moniker for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), aka "Beautiful Ted" or "Texas Ted." "He's not Lyin' Ted anymore," Trump said. But he expressed no regret for suggesting Cruz's father was involved in John F. Kennedy's assassination or posting an unflattering image of Cruz's wife, Heidi, next to a glamorous portrait of his own wife, first lady Melania Trump. "I don't regret anything, honestly," Trump said. "It all worked out very nicely." As for Cruz's opponent, Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas), he's "highly overrated," Trump said. "When I heard about him, I thought he must be something special. He's not." More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3e5aafb04d1ff4876a4ea99256401a327cb6f65681ffc0fc7edbd1d72e088cc32814e2d183a9c4db75c6b11a309331d

Related: "Meet the Next Ted Cruz," via Tim Alberta: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3e5aafb04d1ff482f303ca179c627a6477a7aa3ec1762fd37c292876ca9e6d237c5595a45de63a35ae8feae9b4083c7 "Trump and 'Beautiful Ted' Cruz embrace at Texas rally," per The Washington Post's Seung Min Kim and Felicia Sonmez: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3e5aafb04d1ff4875dbd9f3aa10c5b86723a54bfe053d890e7fea2f864fac312d1958d9191ab6ec954ff0486cd816bc and "Trump: 'I'm a nationalist,'" by Quint Forgey: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3e5aafb04d1ff48c65102b60cc3ce9f40563e12ae67b289eea958f6eac20e792daaaeee25cf227751462b65c8cc15de

TODAY IN CONGRESS -- The House and Senate are out.

AROUND THE HILL -- Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) will hold a briefing on the building material of the future, focusing on mass timber, at 3 p.m. in 562 Dirksen.

MONDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER -- JD Grom was first to correctly guess that House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) holds the record for utilizing the most closed rules in a single Congress, with 101.

TODAY'S TRIVIA -- From JD: The Apportionment Act of 1911 expanded the House to 435 representatives, going into effect for the 63rd Congress. Excluding states with only one representative, name a state that was apportioned the same number of seats in the 63rd Congress that it currently has today. 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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