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By Seung Min Kim (
mailto:skim@politico.com
skim@politico.com or @seungminkim)

HOT OFF THE PRESSES: LYNCH'S OPENING REMARKS - The main attraction today is attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch's confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where she'll get every question under the sun from senators taking up the first major nomination under GOP control of the chamber. I have the preview of Lynch's opening remarks for the hearing, which kicks off at 10 a.m.: "Attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch will tell key senators Wednesday that the Constitution will be her "lodestar" if she becomes the nation's chief law enforcement officer, as she pledges a fresh start with a Congress that's had rocky relations with her would-be predecessor. The Brooklyn-based
federal prosecutor will also touch on two key issues in her opening remarks, according to testimony released in advance of her confirmation hearing: cybercrimes and relations between law enforcement and minority communities."

--"In her opening remarks, Lynch will say strengthening relationships between law enforcement and the public will be a key priority as attorney general, promising to 'draw all voices into this important discussion.' ... 'I have served with them. I have learned from them. I am a better prosecutor because of them,' Lynch will tell the Judiciary Committee. 'Few things have pained me more than the recent reports of tension and division between law enforcement and the communities we serve.'"

--"Much of her opening remarks, which are Lynch's first chance to publicly introduce herself to Congress, will take a personal tone. Lynch, the daughter of a Baptist minister and a retired English teacher, will talk about how her parents fought against segregation and instilled in her the values of education, hard work and sacrifice ... She will recall how in the early 1960s, her father would open up his Greensboro, North Carolina, church to civil rights activists and stand alongside them as he carried Lynch, as a little girl, on his shoulders. 'As I come before you today in this historic chamber, I still stand on my father's shoulders, as well as on the shoulders of all those who have gone
before me and who dreamed of making the promise of America a reality for all and worked to achieve that goal,' Lynch will tell senators."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6a50c91753cb70f937a093a9f91b8b35f5768910da96d86ac3fb572ed59e0698
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--Here's more on how Lynch plans to approach the issue of immigration - particularly on the executive actions - in her testimony, from John Bresnahan and Manu Raju: "Attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch plans to tell senators that she doesn't believe President Barack Obama has blanket power to grant 'amnesty' to undocumented immigrants, but she'll argue that the president's sweeping moves on the issue have stayed within the bounds of the Constitution."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6a50c91753cb70f9cd372d30792ee229e95dab1bb5c6f5e607296cdf53ec2178
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OBAMA DROPS '529' PROPOSAL - Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times: "President Obama, facing angry reprisals from parents and from lawmakers of both parties, will drop his proposal to effectively end the popular college savings accounts known as 529s, but will keep an expanded tuition tax credit at the center of his college access plan ... The decision came just hours after Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio demanded that the proposal be withdrawn from the president's budget, due out Monday, 'for the sake of middle-class families.'"

--"But the call for the White House to relent also came from top Democrats, including Representatives Nancy Pelosi of California, the minority leader, and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, the ranking member of the Budget Committee. Ms. Pelosi pressed the case to senior administration officials on Air Force One as she flew with the president from India to Saudi Arabia, according to Democratic aides familiar with the discussions."
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DHS FUNDING ON THE BRINK? Jake Sherman and I write about the sense growing among some House Republicans that missing the Feb. 27 funding deadline for Homeland Security wouldn't be a catastrophe: "[N]ow, leading Republicans say the fallout would be limited if Congress fails to act. In private conversations and in meetings around the Capitol and on the House floor, top House GOP figures say most of DHS's 280,000 employees will stay on the job even without a new funding bill because they are considered essential employees - though their paychecks would stop coming in the meantime."

--"That's not the House Republicans leadership's goal - they passed their own bill this month ... Senior sources in House Republican leadership are now saying they will not bring up a so-called 'clean' DHS funding bill. They hope the Senate can insert some language to change part of Obama's executive actions on immigration, and are privately warning that a 'clean bill will not fly in the House,' as one senior leadership aide put it."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6a50c91753cb70f937e23c09fb418e1327b6ddccfd9a839505407fd2a1dc6330
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6a50c91753cb70f937e23c09fb418e1327b6ddccfd9a839505407fd2a1dc6330

--Daniel Newhauser has the details of the House GOP leadership moving closer to a lawsuit against Obama over immigration, with Boehner telling his members: We are finalizing a plan to authorize litigation on this issue - one we believe gives us the best chance of success."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6a50c91753cb70f949fb7827188ab7ef264ce14c23ab4df8eeb05af2da197c7c
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6a50c91753cb70f949fb7827188ab7ef264ce14c23ab4df8eeb05af2da197c7c

--Meanwhile, I reported that 45 Senate Dems (all but Harry Reid, who endorses the push) signed a letter to McConnell yesterday calling for a clean DHS funding bill:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6a50c91753cb70f9670ffb61b90705d8faeeee6a9509d63e08d4d3d0d5a62b44
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6a50c91753cb70f9670ffb61b90705d8faeeee6a9509d63e08d4d3d0d5a62b44 . And a little birdie tells Huddle that Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) dropped a DHS funding measure (essentially the House-passed version, but without the provisions overriding Obama on immigration) last night - the legislation that Senate Dems will promote in the coming weeks.

SCALISE TO MEET WITH BLACK LEADER - Scott Wong has the scoop for The Hill: "Marc Morial, a former Democratic New Orleans mayor, publicly questioned this month whether Scalise should remain in GOP leadership. Now Morial [head of the National Urban League] will get a chance to question his fellow Louisianan directly. Morial confirmed to The Hill that he and Scalise connected by phone Monday night and agreed to sit down in the 'near future' to discuss a host of issues outlined in his recent letter to Scalise, including renewal of the Voting Rights Act."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6a50c91753cb70f928fe89cd1c16d6d10d7eafd3b453efc7a8e4a8f984440b5e
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SCOTUS FILIBUSTER TRIAL BALLOON POPS - POLITICO's Burgess Everett: "Senate Republicans' trial balloon calling for abolishing filibusters for Supreme Court nominees is already plummeting back to earth. Democrats are worried about a Republican Senate and president installing anti-abortion justices if the GOP takes the White House in 2017. Veteran Republicans loathe the plan, arguing it further fillets the minority party's rights beyond current rules that eliminated the filibuster for most presidential nominees. Republicans also face the possibility of losing the Senate in 2016 and they fret about voters giving the confirmation keys to a President Hillary Clinton, who they fear would install
liberal judges."

--"Given Republicans' insistence that any changes to the Senate's byzantine rules require the support of 67 senators, it's impossible to envision the filibuster disappearing anytime soon on Supreme Court nominees ... 'I certainly would not support further limiting the rights of senators,' said moderate GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. 'It'd be a serious mistake,' said Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.)."
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** The Beer Institute represents the American beer industry, which employs more than 2 million Americans earning nearly $79 billion in wages and benefits. The industry pays more than $49 billion in business, personal and consumption taxes, making taxes one of the most expensive ingredients in your beer. Learn more at BeerInstitute.org. **

IT'S WEDNESDAY, JAN. 28, 2015 and welcome to The Huddle, where we'll be camped out at attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch's confirmation hearing all day - meaning we will welcome coffee and/or Diet Coke sent to Hart 216 any time today. Please send your tips, suggestions, comments, complaints, and corrections to
mailto:skim@politico.com
skim@politico.com and please follow along on Twitter at @seungminkim.

My new followers include @RepJaredPolis and @Jason_Samuels.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House will be in at 9 a.m., with the only series of votes expected around 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. The chamber will vote on legislation expediting approval of liquefied natural gas permits. The Senate is in at 9:30 a.m. and at 2:30 p.m., will vote on 18 (!) amendments to the Keystone XL pipeline legislation.

AROUND THE HILL - Rep. Sander Levin and Families USA are leading a press conference on King vs. Burwell, the Obamacare case before the Supreme Court, at 9:30 a.m. in 234 Cannon. Reps. Joe Barton, Kathy Castor, Anna Eshoo and others will hold a news conference on the Advancing Care for Exceptional Kids Act at 10 a.m. in HC-8. Sens. Claire McCaskill and Rob Portman will hold a news conference introducing the Federal Permitting Improvement Act at 2:30 p.m. in SVC-202.

TRANSITIONS - Sadie Weiner is joining the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee as national press secretary. She was most recently on former Sen. Kay Hagan's reelection campaign; she has also worked for campaigns for Democratic Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Patty Murray of Washington.

GOP RAGES AT DEMINT - POLITICO's Anna Palmer, Lauren French and Jake Sherman: "Long-simmering tensions between the Heritage Foundation, its sister political arm and House Republicans erupted Tuesday during a weekly meeting of conservatives, as GOP lawmakers confronted the nonprofit group's leader behind closed doors. Several Republican lawmakers unleashed on Heritage Foundation President Jim DeMint - a former South Carolina senator - griping mostly about Heritage Action's legislative scorecard."

--Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) had this to say about Heritage: "Coming from the farm, my granddad would say there are some people who want to prove a point and others who want to make a difference. I feel like Heritage is sometimes is trying to prove a point while conservatives in the House are trying to make a difference."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6a50c91753cb70f9a7a75fbce5a1d7b5103fa3edffa63683020112c36dffae82
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6a50c91753cb70f9a7a75fbce5a1d7b5103fa3edffa63683020112c36dffae82

WILL CLINTON TESTIFY ON BENGHAZI? A top Democrat says the all-but-declared 2016 Democratic presidential candidate is willing to do so. Martin Matishak for The Hill: "Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) on Tuesday said he has spoken to Clinton about the possibility of testifying at the request of Rep. Trey Gowdy (S.C.), the panel's Republican chairman, and she 'did not hesitate for one second.' ... Cummings said Clinton, who was secretary of State at the time of the Benghazi attacks, indicated to him last year that she 'wanted to come in December' to testify but could also come in January."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6a50c91753cb70f9dfab54141e30dbe456609db77f2c4bbcacbbd7bec0d88dba
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6a50c91753cb70f9dfab54141e30dbe456609db77f2c4bbcacbbd7bec0d88dba

--And Lauren French recaps the fiery Benghazi hearing on Tuesday, which turned sharply partisan:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6a50c91753cb70f90eb078d09d1af06e1b9c8312cb98eda1905b0b8b8c3718a5
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6a50c91753cb70f90eb078d09d1af06e1b9c8312cb98eda1905b0b8b8c3718a5

DEMS HALT PUSH ON IRAN SANCTIONS - The Associated Press: "Senate Democrats on Tuesday put the brakes on new Iran sanctions legislation, ending for now a looming showdown between the U.S. Congress and President Barack Obama over negotiations to prevent Tehran from having the capability to make a nuclear weapon. Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat and a leading proponent of the legislation, says he remains skeptical a deal will materialize, but says he and nine other Democrats now won't push the bill at least until the end of March."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6a50c91753cb70f9cd92694ae66f4b3ee4d5ee99258d47bdc88893ba54ad661c
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6a50c91753cb70f9cd92694ae66f4b3ee4d5ee99258d47bdc88893ba54ad661c

PAUL RYAN BRANDISHES HUNK OF CHEESE - The Wall Street Journal recaps: "Yes, Rep. Paul Ryan did in fact brandish a wedge of cheese, jolting awake a sleepy committee hearing on trade. The cheesy move, which carried a parochial political message, appeared to be improvised since Mr. Ryan said he had the cheese on hand-a smoked Gouda-style hunk from his home state of Wisconsin-because of a lost football bet with Rep. Jim McDermott (D., Wash.). The audience, amused at first, seemed to groan as the Republican kept earnestly waving the cheese, complaining that Canada so far hasn't proposed to remove any barriers to U.S. dairy products as a part of 12-nation negotiations to form a new Pacific trade
bloc."

--The Journal also notes: "Like many Americans, Mr. Ryan pronounced the cheese 'GOO-dah,' definitely not the way the Dutch identify the town of Gouda. (Pronounced more like HOW-da.)"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6a50c91753cb70f959d57f7ece7f705470a54b63b15cbecd9f7254fa56799bcc
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6a50c91753cb70f959d57f7ece7f705470a54b63b15cbecd9f7254fa56799bcc

TUESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Greg Smith and David Heymsfeld answered correctly within minutes of each other that Mississippi is the only state that has never sent a woman to Congress, nor had a female governor. Iowa held that distinction until Republican Joni Ernst was elected to the Senate.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - What two Iowa politicians had their respective weddings on the same day - June 17, 1972? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day's Huddle. Email
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skim@politico.com .

GET HUDDLE emailed to your Blackberry, iPhone or other mobile device each morning. Just enter your email address where it says 'Sign Up.'
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** Nobody knows the beer industry better than the Beer Institute. Have a question about beer policy? Contact the Beer Institute. With roots dating back to 1862, the Beer Institute represents brewers, beer importers and allied suppliers before Congress, the media and others. You can learn more about the business of beer, and answer your questions about complex industry issues, by calling the Beer Institute at (202) 737-BEER (2337), or by visiting BeerInstitute.org. **

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