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02/09/2018 08:01 AM EDT


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

HOUSE ENDS FIVE-HOUR SHUTDOWN -- The House voted early Friday morning on a sweeping budget deal to fund the government and lift strict spending caps, ending a five-and-a-half hour government shutdown. The bill passed the chamber, 240-186, with the backing of 73 Democrats. "The measure faced opposition from the right and left, but lawmakers were loath to force a protracted shutdown fight," Bres, Jennifer Scholtes and Heather report this morning. "House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) had urged her members to oppose the bill over the GOP's failure to resolve the standoff over 700,000 Dreamers, but her efforts ultimately fell short."

The bipartisan two-year budget package will increase federal spending by about $300 billion. The bill also calls for raising the debt ceiling until March 2019 and nearly $90 billion in disaster aid. It passed the Senate, 71-28, shortly before 2 a.m.

The bill now heads to President Donald Trump's desk. Trump is expected to sign it quickly to avoid any major disruptions of the federal government. "[T]he budget package will keep federal agencies open until March 23," they report. "This will give time for the House and Senate Appropriations panels to craft a massive $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill that will fund federal agencies until Sept. 30."

Both chambers were expected to vote Thursday. "With a shutdown only hours away, [Senate Majority Leader Mitch] McConnell tried to set up a vote on the budget deal beginning at 6 p.m.," they report. Then came the other Republican senator from Kentucky: Rand Paul. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=583a483ca92d7f7012a8676b9d88219c08ea0d97995a38aca40ef66c091f1271b6f6c5e9ac3666b0d6d18ee3ad0780e4

THE PAUL-PELOSI SHUTDOWN -- Paul and Pelosi have little in common. Yet they effectively teamed up to lead Congress toward what people on Capitol Hill dubbed "the dumbest shutdown ever." "Incensed that a bipartisan budget deal would balloon the national debt, Paul delayed a roll call on a long-term budget agreement even as the government barreled toward a midnight deadline when agencies run out of money," Rachael and Seung Min report. "Never mind that his protest won't change a single word of the document. Pelosi, meanwhile, rallied House Democrats against a bipartisan agreement that she herself helped write."

"This is the stupidest thing to happen to Congress in three weeks," one Senate GOP aide said. Twenty-four hours earlier, House Democrats were thought to play a key role in whether the government would shut down. While the budget caps deal was bipartisan in the Senate, the House is where many Democrats -- Pelosi included -- were upset that House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) made no assurance to take up a bill to protect Dreamers from deportation. The shutdown, however, began with Paul in what they write is "a reminder of the sorry state of Beltway politics." Due to procedural rules, he could delay a key procedural vote until after 1 a.m. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=583a483ca92d7f70db49419f41d6f038452a2eb5822f2a3aa2dbecb30f0d97a720056ad05c20ca36c7e9627691003397


Related Rand: "GOP rips Rand for shutdown," via Burgess: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=583a483ca92d7f702c0f8b71fb38240c47a1a5ddf63720772ab991335e7adcdcb0e4f179c9aea880d604f7d4187624c0 and "Rand Paul seizes anti-Fed mantle to imperil Trump's Fed nominee," from Victoria Guida: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=583a483ca92d7f7015b9df18f23d0c7ce501024bcd9a9168994bdb7120b9846fb94febbb2835702ac6d07a41c5de8e05

IT'S FINALLY FRIDAY! Thanks for reading Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Feb. 9.

THURSDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Rachael and Bres' report on Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) was the big winner.

WHAT'S IN THE BUDGET DEAL? -- In addition to raising spending caps by $300 billion over the next two years and raising the debt limit through March 2019, the bill that passed this morning includes nearly $90 billion in disaster funding aimed at Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. "The package also includes billions for other disasters, including wildfires and droughts, going back four years," Sarah Ferris reports. The bill also extends funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program for an additional four years, through 2028. More from Sarah: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=583a483ca92d7f70ebbaa8079b91ea113d405f228e70b27033956d60075174c6d254c5b8e440c5b609f082ce3c985e38

From doctors to honeybees to racehorses to the rum industry, "[t]hey all got a piece of the massive budget bill," POLITICO reports. "Born of bipartisanship and propelled by a 'must-pass' urgency, the measure ... has been loaded up with little-noticed deals for lawmakers' favorite causes." The list of budget-bill surprises: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=583a483ca92d7f7092eab41c1be4a2d51ae257fd54358d681ffc78369f82988f8a1071a2bff1fd671cbab6134eaa492c

MCCONNELL SETS UP IMMIGRATION DEBATE -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is keeping his promise. The Senate leader moved early Friday morning to open debate on an immigration bill Monday evening. "That now sets up a chance for both sides to offer amendments that will compete for 60 votes -- the threshold to advance legislation in the Senate," Tal Kopan reports for CNN. "If a proposal can garner 60 votes, it will pass the Senate but face an uncertain fate in the future." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=583a483ca92d7f7075912b1f968fc7bfd052d3504bcd28e7e4490c7fe4d2acf0b4993683aff022d896feb22c485021b0

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) is working on a fallback plan. Flake's measure would extend Obama-era legal protections for Dreamers and include border security funding if lawmakers fail to pass an immigration bill next month. "That result is one that few on Capitol Hill want, yet it may become reality as lawmakers struggle to reach a broader immigration deal that satisfies the Trump administration yet garners sufficient support from congressional Democrats," Seung Min and Burgess report. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=583a483ca92d7f7098f866c114ad02babd7bdd3468431099af650284b24674734806658760dae91e03d0359b1c7d81a0

REPUBLICANS WELCOME PORTER'S DEPARTURE -- Republicans on Thursday welcomed the resignation of White House staff secretary Rob Porter, who resigned in the wake of allegations that he had abused two of his ex-wives. "If you want to serve the public ... you can't beat the hell out of your spouse," Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said bluntly. "It's wrong." House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) said Porter's resignation was "welcomed." Ayanna Alexander with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=583a483ca92d7f706a1a54257d1cbecbfc9f4bdec01c1f9713109741f615884245e2c08a4b76d3bbbdcc69d3fc4ee11d

Top White House officials knew of the allegations for months, according to The Washington Post. Counsel Don McGahn knew the allegations were coming a year ago, and chief of staff John Kelly found out last fall. White House spokesman Raj Shah said Thursday that the White House was letting an assessment of the allegations play out in Porter's security-clearance review. "Dozens of White House employees are awaiting permanent security clearances and have been working for months with temporary approvals to handle sensitive information while the FBI continues to probe their backgrounds," the Post said in another report.

SENATE DEMS OUTRAISE REPUBLICANS IN TRUMP STATES -- The 10 Senate Democrats facing reelection in states President Donald Trump won in 2016 raised nearly $20 million in the last quarter of 2017, while 24 Republicans in primary challenges raised just $6.6 million in the same three-month span. "The Democrats had a combined $71.3 million in their campaign accounts as of the end of the year, nearly four times more than the Republican candidates, who had about $20 million and must still finance primary campaigns," Bill Allison and John McCormick report for Bloomberg Politics.

"The Democrats' early fundraising edge comes as the party faces a much more challenging Senate map this year," with Democrats and independents who caucus with them defending 26 seats. Republicans, who hold a narrow 51-49 majority, are defending just eight. "The states where Democrats could face the most serious contests are Florida, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and West Virginia, all of which Trump won in 2016," they note. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=583a483ca92d7f7082426bcbaf04b676d3ccf08c42f3076b6b52aa9c12e6f6c0c317eeb0c641ef6f5bd2c242a6b4f48b

HOUSE DEMS TARGET 101 GOP SEATS -- House Democrats plan to go after more than 100 Republican-held districts this year. "The DCCC's own polling of key districts has been more promising than national trends, showing President Donald Trump underwater not just in the 23 GOP-held districts Hillary Clinton won, but also in the more than 60 districts Trump won, and the 11 where retirements have left the seat open," Alex Seitz-Wald reports for NBC News. "Democrats are now fielding candidates in all but 12 of the 238 districts held by Republicans," according to DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), who said Republicans "should do some re-evaluating." More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=583a483ca92d7f70df50624ac6377cd550eb0cdca5de37d10f44685b3385e8ac2b67d62065d3c2a8320829872a638bc8

SENATE INTEL COMMITTEE DRAFTING REPORT ON ELECTION VULNERABILITIES -- The Senate Intelligence Committee is writing a report on vulnerabilities in the U.S. election system that could be completed as soon as next month. "The report still needs to be vetted and approved by multiple federal agencies to ensure the protection of classified information," Byron Tau reports for The Wall Street Journal. "The report is aimed at making recommendations to state, county and local governments about how best to protect their election infrastructures in advance of the 2018 midterm elections. Texas and Illinois will both hold primary elections in March, while eight more states will hold elections in May."
More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=583a483ca92d7f7085d5cdcebde5e143cc51fccafa34fea6702309f6707965895a948a6492424e8655cbf82cb6bd7fdf

Meanwhile, Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee are planning to building a wall. From CBS News: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=583a483ca92d7f70bd0fe53d19c56a7dc7550054cf232ac528fc25d32637b82f932de0884bde1efe3165c84d433c0819

Related reads: "FBI surveillance of Carter Page might have picked up Bannon," by Kyle: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=583a483ca92d7f70e5081d55956f5ce1c319a26ed1181684e55f67a341695a749d3c3aed590a95cf8b4e9fcd61a53f6f and "House Republicans pledge to continue probing dossier, but without memos," via The Washington Post's Karoun Demirjian: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=583a483ca92d7f704b2c8fdc2afc091f34d50fb01028dc804ff77f7246e9c4698e8561856d35daf510fd5167557a8118

TRUMP PICKS IRS CHIEF -- The White House announced Trump's intent to nominate tax attorney Charles "Chuck" Rettig to lead the IRS, as POLITICO reported last month. Rettig is a specialist in handling tax disputes and has represented clients before the IRS, Justice Department, state tax authorities and other jurisdictions for more than three decades. If confirmed by the Senate, Rettig would succeed John Koskinen, who stepped down in November at the end of his five-year term. David Kautter, assistant Treasury secretary for tax policy, has served as acting commissioner. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=583a483ca92d7f70ad2fe4f530a43442b130cf85eb40aa8fe2533064d201aba3b107bfbc78a03d09160a966fefd653bd

MOVING ON -- Phil Novack is leaving Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) office and moving to Detroit. Novack, who served as Cruz's press secretary, will be returning to work in the private sector.

Heideh Shahmoradi, staff director of the Senate Appropriation Committee's Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Subcommittee, is leaving her post to create a lobbying firm, OS Strategies, that will open next month.

TODAY IN CONGRESS -- After Thursday's all-nighter, the House and Senate are out.

THURSDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER -- Scott McGeary was first to correctly guess that Spiro Agnew was the first VP to give a vice-presidential speech carried live by all major TV networks.

TODAY'S TRIVIA -- Scott with today's question: Which past member of the Senate served in his state's House and Senate before election to the U.S. House and Senate, carrying every county in his 1970 reelection? 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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