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08/03/2017 07:48 AM EDT


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

GONE UNTIL SEPTEMBER - Good Thursday morning Huddle readers. The Senate could leave town as early as today, joining the House for a month-long break. But fear not, we're already looking ahead to battles in September.

Showdown looming? Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), knowing they'll need Democratic votes anyway, are begrudgingly on board with the White House's request for a clean debt ceiling increase in September, Seung Min and Rachael report this morning. But some rank-and-file Republicans have other plans, calling for any debt ceiling hike to be accompanied by spending cuts or fiscal reforms. "Meanwhile, Democrats, who time and again have coughed up votes to allow the GOP to avoid crises, are mulling their own demands with a Republican now in the White House," they report.

For now, House Republican leaders are looking to the Senate to move first with plans to push through the House whatever is first passed by the upper chamber. "GOP leaders under their current strategy will, in essence, ignore conservatives because they can't give them what they want and expect it to clear the Senate's higher, 60-vote threshold." The state of play: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1755bdf803cf73aa9c3953709cf2c7dc88e1441b8e3223fcb6db8dcc7ff2cfbfbf93a16718cbd34c2f1ce6db1ee858f350e5a012c127c66f

FOR YOUR RADAR: MUELLER BILL - Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) plan to introduce a bill today that would give special counsel Robert Mueller recourse if he is fired by the White House. "The bill would allow any special counsel for the Department of Justice to challenge his or her removal in court, with a review by a three-judge panel within 14 days of the challenge," the AP reports. And the legislation would be retroactive to May 17, 2017 - the day Mueller was appointed to investigate Russian meddling and any potential involvement by the Trump campaign. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) are also working on a similar bill, USA Today previously
reported.

TRUMP SIGNS SANCTIONS BILL - President Donald Trump signed a sweeping Russia, Iran and North Korea sanctions package into law Wednesday, but not before saying he thinks parts of the bill are unconstitutional. The accompanying signing statement prompted a quick response from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who said Trump's comments raise "serious questions about whether his administration intends to follow the law, or whether he will continue to enable and reward Vladimir Putin's aggression." Matt Nussbaum and Elana with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1755bdf803cf73aad964d85014aedbfb984d300ec42fa9441c5414bf38f71d203170cbdf3d305bfd3a55125cf6391f55c30bf23d7cbaf348

Related read: "Congress is moving to force the Pentagon to violate a nuclear arms treaty with Russia - in yet another effort to box in President Donald Trump on relations with Moscow," Bryan Bender reports. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1755bdf803cf73aa0d49b582ec6f882c9a1952d414f7e3201bdba1b44ecc481259342bbc6a6c231e6618bc214f1ec7022e9c8972608fa52b

RECESS, ALL I EVER WANTED. Welcome to Thursday, Aug. 3 and thanks for tuning into POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill.

WEDNESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Elana's story about Senate Republicans planning to pass a tax overhaul without bipartisan buy-in got the clicks.

OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES SAFE, FOR NOW - The White House has put the brakes on deciding whether to yank Obamacare subsidies that are critical to keeping the market functioning. Facing blowback from Republicans on the Hill, who are pushing to keep the cost-sharing reduction payments in place for now, the White House is not expected to immediately end the subsidies, despite previous threats. "Lawyers and some administration officials have raised questions about ending the payments but are expected to offer an analysis later in August, West Wing officials said," Josh Dawsey and Jen Haberkorn report. Another CSR payment is due approximately Aug. 22. More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1755bdf803cf73aa9d50753f294d94952bbb2dc772c0bb2e040c1ac08c28979a988bf1013f17ec4c8f2364d4956c6971836e79def9e55b71

Related: New bipartisan Obamacare push faces steep climb, via Jen Haberkorn and Adam Cancryn, http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1755bdf803cf73aae82058555c66a0557fe0d3c888e23e9cd0a854fa2723e8e49c0dc8fe21f9f190b77b33ef463329a6e895bf3487698d85

McCAIN UPDATE: 'FEELING GOOD' - In his first interview since starting cancer treatment this week, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said he's "feeling good" and plans to return to the Senate in September. "It's a tough challenge, of course, but [I'm] getting the best care you can possibly have. I'm eating well and feeling fine, getting plenty of exercise," McCain said on Phoenix talk radio station KFYI. McCain said he's been keeping a regular schedule of meetings and plans to travel around the state during recess. He's also been touched by the outpouring of support since his diagnosis: "It's been very deeply moving to me, even those who have said, 'I hope you die, but you're still a good
guy.'" Connor O'Brien with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1755bdf803cf73aa7b12f79c40c1eead43f2c90455be6e41af2e2b558ad009fbf16d999620424df8852805b0d93818b55ef92b4b7a052b53

BYE BYE BYE - National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster has fired a top White House intelligence aide who earlier this year secretly shared controversial "unmasking" information with House Intel Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.). "The dismissal of Ezra Cohen-Watnick, confirmed by the White House, is the latest in a string of NSC staff members removed at the behest of McMaster, who has steadily shed aides that had been brought on by his short-lived predecessor Michael Flynn," report Eliana Johnson, Nahal Toosi and Ali Watkins. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1755bdf803cf73aa807c02e0eaa352e9dce7c19277c219c70ffadbf4dd9e5607f0cecb3f679d23de52765319c2d5337305397cc61fd3f092

GAVEL GRAB GETTING SERIOUS - Rep. Diane Black's entry into the Tennessee gubernatorial race will likely trigger serious jockeying between Republicans for her House Budget Committee gavel. Under GOP conference rules, Black must step down from her post to run for governor unless she gets a waiver, which doesn't look likely. Rep. Todd Rokita (R-Indiana) is the panel's vice chairman but he is eyeing a Senate bid. Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) has already started reaching out to Steering Committee members about the post, the Hill reports. "It's really wide open if Rokita does run for the Senate," said one member of the Steering panel. Niv Ellis and Scott Wong with more:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1755bdf803cf73aa9578b33b48f86bb7cf30226c60e6a8bf7bda589194067b03ee87ba30fe51db4b48d25cceea659a5e084328d573bf02a5

'HE OUGHT TO JUST DO IT' - Republican senators are unmoved by Trump's recent threats to ax subsidies for lawmakers' and their aides' health care, saying he should just follow through if he's going to keep talking about it. "If that's what he wants to do, he ought to just do it," Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) told Jen Haberkorn. But as "probably he's learned over the last couple of weeks, threats don't really go over particularly well. My advice would be to either do it or don't do it."

President Trump could follow through with his threat - although it would take months to actually enact - but given that the median net worth of a member of Congress is $1 million, the people who would feel the hurt are congressional staffers. Jen with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1755bdf803cf73aa93141ae715ab6cffc7ce1329c2226e904775092402f3e2d54b267d0a711faa0efb35efcafc2dfc9bc1e8ba672a3cf350

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The Senate meets at 10 a.m. with roll call votes possible at 11 a.m., 12 p.m. and again during the day. The House is out for recess.

AROUND THE HILL - Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) hold a press conference on their border security bill at 11:30 a.m. in Senate radio/TV gallery.

WEDNESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Kenny Kraft, a retired 37-year congressional staffer, was first to guess that Alabama Sen. Jeremiah Denton was also a POW in Vietnam alongside Sen. John McCain. Denton is remembered for blinking the word "torture" in Morse code during a press conference with his North Vietnamese captors. Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas) was also a Vietnam POW.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Kenny with today's question: This item can be found in both the Grisaille Frieze and the George Washington Apotheosis in the Capitol Rotunda. Hint: It's also the name of the boat in a famous Broadway musical. The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send answers my way: hcaygle@politico.com

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