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03/01/2018 07:58 AM EDT


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

TRUMP'S GUN SUMMIT GOES LEFT -- President Donald Trump is siding with Democrats on gun control -- at least for now. In an hourlong televised gun summit with lawmakers at the White House on Wednesday, the president backed some bipartisan proposals Democrats are pushing. "But as Washington grapples for a response to the Feb. 14 massacre in Parkland, Florida, Trump's ability to find results will depend on whether he can prod the GOP-led Congress to move beyond its comfort zone on guns," Elana and Burgess report. "Members of both parties were highly uncertain on Wednesday about whether Trump would maintain his embrace of gun-control proposals that are bitterly opposed by the National Rifle
Association and anathema to many conservatives on Capitol Hill."

Such proposals include expanded background checks and raising the age limit to buy certain rifles to 21. But key Democrats weren't ready to declare victory, recalling his sudden reversal following a similar summit on immigration. "Don't be surprised if he changes his mind in 48 hours," Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) left optimistic about reviving their expanded background checks bill. "But other Republicans made clear that they see little prospect of moving beyond a narrow, bipartisan proposal to improve background-check record keeping -- despite Trump's declaration that 'it would be nice if we could add everything onto
it,'" they write.

Trump encouraged the House to detach a controversial concealed-carry measure from the Fix NICS bill, a narrow background-check bill that would encourage federal agencies and states to submit information on individuals' criminal histories to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System. House GOP leaders had promised conservatives they wouldn't decouple the two. NRA spokeswoman Jennifer Baker said the "meeting made for great TV" but that the proposals discussed were bad policies that wouldn't keep children safe. "Instead of punishing law-abiding gun owners for the acts of a deranged lunatic our leaders should pass meaningful reforms that would actually prevent future
tragedies," she said. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53ec571ddacf09593396c7e1dc7fa14e4c4d15c940cc20c09fcfa545c5485e65c40d068d8fafb7cd32c7e1c6614b67bf

Related: "Trump surprises lawmakers in backing some tougher gun controls," via The Washington Post: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53ec571ddacf0959e862431b374c937af4d996a33aad84247bedce3be1e2ffcda57a5a70274785edcf1b70b8d56fdd46 and "Trump Stuns Lawmakers With Seeming Embrace of Gun Control," by The New York Times' Michael D. Shear: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53ec571ddacf09595baffa203f2d3961e4731d1ffceae5e699e6b472d6134871cf06f33eacd6b072f6b570d63be1dc30

GIF DU JOUR: Sen. Dianne Feinstein's (D-Calif.) reaction when Trump encouraged her to add her assault weapons ban to the Manchin-Toomey bill: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53ec571ddacf0959b215232c71be5772b31384d0e80dd804ae0b081e8f60e1083e85e09aefbb7e14a46d4c54ee67c4da

HOW DEMS WILL NAVIGATE GUNS IN MIDTERMS -- Democrats may limit their campaign for gun control to inside Washington. While some may be willing to make gun reform a key election issue, "many other Democrats worry that nationalizing the issue in the midterms would undercut some of their most vulnerable members -- or hinder Democrats challenging GOP incumbents -- in rural areas from Ohio and Indiana to Montana and California's Yosemite Valley," Rachael and Burgess report this morning. "To the extent that gun control has been a defining factor in recent elections, it's been to motivate single-issue Second Amendment voters to put more Republicans in office."

Democratic operatives say "they will surgically deploy the issue in select competitive states and House districts, especially those wracked by mass shootings," they write. "If the battle for House control comes down to a handful of seats, that could make gun control a significant factor." While Sens. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) are pushing hard for gun restrictions, "the political reality in Washington means that new gun control laws -- whether an assault weapons ban or universal background checks -- are unlikely to pass until gun control advocates defeat recalcitrant Republicans or the president makes a sustained push for them." More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53ec571ddacf09596a02d2d66844d2827fd9fa220d6671a382956340520a88fa2827dfd6ac9437c08cb03fde27c4797f

Related read: "A Top Gun Control Group Said It Will Campaign Against Republicans In Six Races," by BuzzFeed's Ryan C. Brooks: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53ec571ddacf09598b6f3a703631037b16b870c31e0a14ba095d440795b6a4b8cf39a092b481237bf5569b94aab8cf9c

IT'S MARCH -- THE BEST MONTH FOR COLLEGE HOOPS! Thanks for reading Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, March 1.


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WEDNESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: HuffPost's report on the DCCC advising candidates to not discuss gun-control policy in the wake of last year's Las Vegas shooting was the winner.

NO. 9 -- Vice President Mike Pence cast his ninth tie-breaking vote in the Senate on Wednesday. With Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) absent, Pence's vote elevated the 49-49 split beyond the 50-vote threshold to confirm Russell Vought as deputy OMB director. "An extremely close 49-48 vote to end debate on Tuesday night foreshadowed a razor-thin tally for confirmation," Roll Call's Kellie Mejdrich reports. "A few absences and the GOP's slim majority raised the possibility that Pence would have to cast a deciding vote, as senators also voted along party lines a day earlier."

"Democrats have criticized Vought, a former aide to the conservative House Republican Study Committee and vice president at Heritage Action, for his views on both fiscal and social issues," she adds. "Vought arrives as a deputy under OMB Director Mick Mulvaney as negotiations are heating up over the fiscal 2018 omnibus, now that lawmakers have agreed to provide appropriators higher spending limits for defense and nondefense in law. But continued disagreement in Congress over how to spend the extra money means appropriators still haven't publicly released a plan for how they will divide discretionary funds across the 12 subcommittees." Government funding runs dry on March 23. More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53ec571ddacf0959bfe9bef4350e9d8aac87fcaca1dcb504fce39a9fd377679e945e0fd86a0e74d46d154508d21cf31d

LEWIS TO DELIVER HARVARD COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS IN MAY -- Harvard University has announced that Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a civil rights icon, will deliver its commencement address on May 24. "The Georgia Democrat, who has been a member of Congress for more than three decades, has a history with the Ivy League university," Benjamin Wermund notes. "He holds an honorary degree from Harvard (as well as from several other schools, including Columbia, Duke, Howard and Princeton). He is a graduate of both Fisk University and the American Baptist Theological Seminary."

"Lewis also took part in a 2016 ceremony at Harvard at which the university unveiled a plaque honoring four enslaved people who worked for Harvard presidents in the 1700s," he continues. "And last year, the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School honored Lewis with the Gleitsman Citizen Activist Award for his 60-year career of advancing human rights." In a statement, Harvard President Drew Faust hailed Lewis as a man who "has dedicated himself to the ideals of equality and decency" for more than 50 years, "even when it meant putting himself in harm's way." "His public service legacy is unparalleled, and he is an inspiration to me and to countless other people across the
United States and around the world," Faust added. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53ec571ddacf095980f1d2aef83c1cf142c07f2543f3d8ba00ac6bd44c16b3a32d6c86f4f4bbd2a6602a62d4efa0476d

GOWDY QUESTIONS CARSON OVER EXCESSIVE HUD SPENDING -- House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) is seeking documents from HUD Secretary Ben Carson related to "allegations by a high-ranking civil servant that she was the target of reprisals after sounding the alarm on agency spending," Cristiano Lima reports. The request comes after HUD official Helen Foster raised concerns in a sworn complaint over department spending. Foster's lawyers say she was abruptly demoted in July without explanation. Lawyers say she was told to "find money" beyond the $5,000 legal limit for redecorating and that a supervisor said the legal limit "will not even buy a decent chair."
More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53ec571ddacf09597e575f41f00fd5ab9bf9cf7508fb537fd0b8daf22f817159a7e10ae908b0add2108e26d1e57ef144

HUD also spent $31,000 to replace a dining room set last year, according to federal records and a whistleblower. The negative headlines have infuriated senior White House aides, who "have taken a more hands-on role in trying to stem the tide of negative news," Rene Marsh and Dan Merica report for CNN. One source tells the network that senior aides are angry with top HUD officials but not Carson. President Donald Trump and chief of staff John Kelly haven't been briefed on the reports. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53ec571ddacf095902a74ab87424327352f259acd79cc64c91e8b54fe9f07a47b9b358783e3b9b766b1c1dd8b7f62059

Carson's response, via Twitter: "Thank you to so many who have expressed concern for me and my family over the latest accusations. Rest assured that there has been no dishonesty or wrongdoing by us. All the numbers and evidence are being gathered and a full disclosure is forthcoming. We suspect, based on past attempts, that they will continue to probe and make further accusations even without evidence or substantiation. We will continue to ask for God's guidance to do what is right."

OH, OK... -- John Ullyot, the VA's assistant secretary for public affairs, asked a senior aide on the House Veterans Affairs Committee "to persuade lawmakers to call the White House and say they wanted [VA Secretary David] Shulkin out," Donovan Slack reports for USA TODAY. "The move was unsuccessful -- but audacious since Ullyot is the secretary's highest ranking aide tasked with publicly defending him and the agency. It is also the most striking evidence to date that some of Shulkin's own staff are trying to oust him." Ullyot denies the allegations.

But two sources tell USA TODAY that Ullyot made the request in a Feb. 15 call. The VA inspector general had released a report the day before concluding that Shulkin had misused taxpayer dollars during a trip to Europe last year. Ullyot and VA press secretary Curt Cashour acknowledged in a joint statement that they made the call but insisted the claim that they sought help to oust Shulkin "is ridiculous." Ullyot argued that if committee members called for Shulkin's resignation, "such pressure would make the firing a virtual certainty," Slack writes. Much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53ec571ddacf09599e4190ecc0b4f7833b0b1e85ef954ad07b23c67af9e60e9c1e636eab904e7c05e46383362e65c3db

DUNN'S CHIEF OF STAFF RESIGNS OVER ALLEGED HARASSMENT -- Rep. Neal Dunn's (R-Fla.) chief of staff, Brian Schubert, resigned Wednesday morning after the House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into alleged sexual harassment by him and Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.), his former boss. "Meehan, a married Pennsylvania Republican, has announced that he will retire following news reports that he used taxpayer money to settle a harassment claim by a former staffer," Rachael reports. "But in a story worthy of a soap opera, Meehan and Schubert, his former chief of staff, were both accused of harassing the same woman... Meehan let Schubert go in 2016 when he found out that Schubert expressed an
unwanted romantic interest in the female staffer -- only to make his own advances on the woman." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53ec571ddacf09595df2c06412f07d2cce8eb0c4c6c04fb2fe1c475259f58d61850ecbb4f6369c7ce228905d68c90e33

MCDANIEL, BARIA ENTER MISSISSIPPI SENATE RACE -- Mississippi state Sen. Chris McDaniel announced his primary challenge to Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) on Wednesday, calling the Trump-endorsed incumbent "one of the most liberal senators." "McDaniel promptly mentioned Wicker's support for changing the Mississippi flag -- the last in the nation to include the Confederate battle emblem -- a potential weakness for Wicker among conservative, white Republicans," The Clarion-Ledger's Geoff Pender reports. "McDaniel on Wednesday didn't rule out dropping out of the current Senate race and running for Mississippi's other seat if [Sen. Thad] Cochran steps down early as many expect."

Democratic state Rep. David Baria announced his entry into the race on Wednesday, too. "Mississippi Democrats are hoping for a Republican internecine battle like the recent one in Alabama, which resulted in Democrat Doug Jones taking the seat in a Deep South red state," Pender adds. "Another Democrat, Howard Sherman, husband of famed actress Sela Ward, qualified Wednesday as well." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53ec571ddacf0959273a9924228dd023bb8e7652aad61e68424bce6599f77332b154b3cdc734959f886822390d6e3eac

TODAY IN CONGRESS -- The Senate meets at 10 a.m. to resume consideration of judicial nominee A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. The chamber will hold three roll call votes at 11:45 a.m. and another at 1:30 p.m. Today's agenda: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53ec571ddacf09593f244ec89465bb42b439f6ddd0a2cba16791f486fbdba25277cbd90ee0d7edf6cef94c1a865b3f5b The House is out.

AROUND THE HILL -- Congress will hold a departure ceremony for the late Rev. Billy Graham -- who will be buried in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Friday -- at 10 a.m. in the East Front of the Capitol.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will hold her weekly news conference at 10:45 a.m. in HVC-Studio A.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and others will hold a conference call briefing to call for a clean omnibus appropriations package beginning at 2 p.m. The call-in number is 800-875-3456, and the password is WEIS72820.

WEDNESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER -- Rick Shaftan was first to correctly guess that Millard and Joseph Tydings are the father and son who both served in the Senate from Maryland. Tydings Hall, a building at the University of Maryland that served as the business school for 30 years, was named after Millard Tydings.

TODAY'S TRIVIA -- From Murray Penner: This person served as House speaker and later vice president. He lived to be nearly 99. Who is he, and what did he famously refer to the vice presidency as? 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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