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09/22/2015 08:24AM EDT


By Rachael Bade (rbade@politico.com or @RachaelMBade)

FOR CATHOLIC LAWMAKERS, A ROLE REVERSAL ON CHURCH & POLITICS. Catholic lawmakers from both parties tell us they're ecstatic about Pope Francis' Thursday address to Congress. But pry a little further and you'll see their feelings are totally different: Democrats are quietly gloating, Republicans are plainly nervous. It's a significant role reversal. For years, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, often sided with conservatives when doctrine met politics. USCCB emphasized church teachings on what Catholics call the "sanctity of life" or "sanctity of marriage" - which have translated into stands against abortion and same-sex marriage. Democrats have often felt like their policy positions,
including those aimed at the poor, like Obamacare, fell on deaf ears in the U.S. church.

While church doctrine on those issues hasn't changed, Pope Francis has shifted the Vatican's priorities, focusing on the church's so-called 'social justice teachings': diplomacy, including that with Cuba and Iran, the plight of migrants - particularly Syrian refugees - climate change and of course, the poor, who he says benefits little from the GOP's beloved "trickle-down economics." Lauren French and I write today about how Democrats, for the first time in a long time, are the ones now getting the boost from Rome - while the right seems a bit uncomfortable. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f6eaeaccfab60156a900226fa01aaf8688ad54e179bcb96198640335303549db

"IN PELOSI, STRONG CATHOLIC FAITH AND ABORTION RIGHTS COEXIST." The New York Times' Jennifer Steinhauer profiles the House Minority Leader's faith: "I actually agree with the pope on more issues than many Catholics who agree with him on one issue," Pelosi tells the Times. "But that one issue, abortion, is adding a thick layer of tension to the otherwise convivial mood as Congress prepares for the arrival of Pope Francis this week. The Capitol is ensnared in an imbroglio over funding for Planned Parenthood ... that could lead to a government shutdown next week." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f6eaeaccfab60156f09fe7c48932bf0e9abb4035252cd7b9a6c363de69291a49

CATHOLIC LOBBY FLEXES MUSCLES AHEAD OF FRANCIS' VISIT. Catherine Ho for The Washington Post: "Many Catholic advocacy leaders balk at the term 'Catholic lobby,' preferring to identify as social justice advocates. But their influence is significant. As Pope Francis arrives in the nation's capital, Catholic lobbyists see themselves as pushing for more humane treatment of migrants and rallying against sex trafficking, for example, rather than as traditional Washington power players. But they also weigh in on the nation's hottest political debates from the environment, to immigration, to health care and abortion rights. Catholics meet regularly with lawmakers and the administration, and their
support is coveted - even as polls show Americans are becoming more secular..."

"Many of the Catholic groups' political wins are more incremental than sweeping. After five years of lobbying Congress to end nighttime deportations - a practice that often results in women being assaulted in towns near the U.S.-Mexico border - a group of Catholic and other faith-based groups scored a small victory when the Department of Homeland Security and the Mexican government in June agreed to new rules discontinuing the practice in Arizona... Many Catholic groups collaborate, taking aim together at economic inequality by advocating for better paid sick leave benefits for low-wage workers, lobbying to make permanent tax credits for low-income families, and backing measures to reduce
greenhouse gasses." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f6eaeaccfab60156371b64e948e1f218cadc801f9b726da84301e97b1dbbf7eb

HOT COMMODITY: GET YOUR POPE TICKETS! And they're all controlled by you friendly local members of Congress, who according to AP have been told by leaders: "No handshakes, selfies or fist bumps" when Francis comes-a-callin'. "That's the message from House and Senate leaders, who in a letter asked lawmakers to refrain 'from handshakes and conversations along and down the center aisle during the announced arrivals of the Senate, dean of the Diplomatic Corps, U.S. Supreme Court, president's Cabinet and Pope Francis. The pontiff will be on a tight schedule Thursday, and congressional leaders want to avoid anything that could slow him down, such as members of Congress shaking hands with the chief
of one of the departments or greeting a Supreme Court justice or even the pontiff himself..."

"House members and senators each were allocated one ticket to distribute for seats in the House gallery to view the speech. The speech also will be telecast on giant screens on the West Lawn of the Capitol, where up to 50,000 people with tickets are expected to view it... After his speech to Congress, the pope will appear on the Capitol balcony facing the National Mall to address the crowds." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f6eaeaccfab601563289ceafc6dc7d149b4e3ef9c50ac3f1ffca331fdea52c55

COMING TO AMERICA. It's Tuesday, SEPT. 22, 2015 - the day Pope Francis arrives in the United States. Apologies for the long Huddle. Grab that coffee; lots of news. Reachable here: rbade@politico.com, or here: @RachaelMBade.

TODAY IN CONGRESS: The House is out, but the Senate at 11 a.m. will vote on the motion to proceed to the late-term abortion ban - a vote that will fail (AP preview for more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f6eaeaccfab60156463378ef3018014a92632896e025bfafafba420117b85dfe Then, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) intends to jam Democrats with another vote to fund the Defense Department, an appropriations maneuver the left will begrudgingly reject because spending levels for other priorities are too low in their views.

FUN FACT: Per Burgess Everett: McConnell's move today to bring up the defense authorization again will represent a tie for the most failed voting re-dos since 1983.

AROUND THE HILL: At 9 a.m., Sen. Roger Wicker talks about an Alzheimer research bill. At 10:30 a.m., Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer and Reps. Maxine Waters and Dennis Heck will give a conference call on Ex-Im bank. Fifteen minutes later, Senate Democratic leadership will introduce a new climate bill (more details below).

COUNTDOWN TO THE SHUTDOWN: 9 days.

CORNYN: SENATE TO MOVE THIS WEEK TO HEAD OFF SHUTDOWN. The House was expected to pass the short-term spending bill first, but it appears the ticking clock is making Senate Republicans nervous. Wall Street Journal's Kristina Peterson and Siobhan Hughes: "The Senate is expected to take the first steps this week toward avoiding a government shutdown on Oct. 1, GOP lawmakers and aides said Monday...Until recently, Senate Republicans had indicated they would likely wait to see what kind of spending bill would be passed by the House, where there is greater GOP opposition to any spending measure that includes Planned Parenthood funding. But with the House in session only briefly this week, Senate
Majority Whip John Cornyn (R., Texas) on Monday said the Senate might act first."

"'To me, it becomes increasingly apparent that the Senate is probably going to have to move,' Mr. Cornyn told reporters. 'We're running out of time.' Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) is expected to take the first steps Tuesday, setting up a Thursday procedural vote on a spending bill that would seek to cut federal funds for Planned Parenthood, congressional aides said. Democrats are expected to prevent the measure from getting the 60 votes needed to clear the procedural hurdle. At that point, Mr. McConnell would likely move to consider a spending bill that retains Planned Parenthood funding, aides said." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f6eaeaccfab601565b635e474fbc7ae820422a9fe987cb50440c0add929aecc4

GOP WANTS TO NEGOTIATE W/ W.H.-NOT CONGRESSIONAL DEMS. Alexander Bolton for The Hill: "Republicans want President Obama as a negotiating partner when it comes to budget talks, something Democrats are determined to avoid. With a little more than a week to prevent a government shutdown, the GOP thinks the talks should be between them and Obama since they now have control of the House and Senate... Democrats, however, are determined to keep a seat at the table - in part because they think they'll drive a tougher bargain than Obama, whose past efforts to make deals with Republicans unnerves Capitol Hill liberals. In this case, Obama seems likely to go along with congressional Democrats -
especially after bruising fights over trade policy and the Iran nuclear deal.... [O]n Monday, the White House stated its desire for Republicans to negotiate with congressional Democrats." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f6eaeaccfab601560c334925bcbf64fe42a068b30161baecf4617b0517b141ba

BUT THAT'S UNLIKELY. NANCY'S IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT. She lost the Speaker's gavel five years ago, but because of the pinch Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is in - caught between conservatives set on defunding Planned Parenthood in the CR, and the threat of losing his speakership - she doesn't need that hammer for power. Lisa Mascaro for the LA Times: "Over the next week, as congressional leaders try to avoid another government shutdown, Pelosi will exert her rising clout as she tries to use a battle over the federal budget to win concessions from the GOP majority..."
"Pelosi's strength stems from Boehner's weakness: Hobbled by internal GOP divisions, and facing rebellious conservatives who would like to oust him from the speakership, Boehner cannot rally enough votes from his party to approve a spending bill... Enter Pelosi, who could serve up the Democratic votes Boehner would need to leave the conservatives behind and forge a bipartisan accord - for a price. It's the latest example of the minority leader's ability to capitalize on GOP dysfunction to extract concessions." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f6eaeaccfab601569b9ebc36b731919a08c5fd3c50e5182121836969822a0561

SENATE DEMOCRATS TO UNVEIL AGGRESSIVE CLIMATE CHANGE BILL. True, it will go absolutely nowhere at the moment, but it lays out the party's priorities for the future. Coral Davenport for the New York Times: "Senate Democratic leaders on Tuesday plan to unveil a measure intended to signal their full-throated support of President Obama's aggressive climate change agenda to 2016 voters and to the rest of the world. The Democrats hope that the bill, sponsored by Senator Maria Cantwell, of Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate Energy Committee, will demonstrate a new unity for the party on energy and climate change, and define Democrats' approach to global warming policy in the coming years."

"The measure would establish as United States policy a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2 percent each year through 2025 - a cut even larger than the target set by the Obama administration. The bill has no chance of passage in the Republican-controlled Congress, but Democrats say they believe that forcefully pushing for climate change policies could help them win control of the Senate in 2016. And if they regain the majority, they will move to enact climate legislation along the lines of the Cantwell bill." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f6eaeaccfab601567b3be70e5f9df4fa3c09ccbc1c29b85da168e6a045d3a1cb

LAMAR ARGUES WITH LAMAR. Burgess writes in: Sen. Lamar Alexander wants Rep. Lamar Smith and his 58 House friends that want the Senate to further gut its filibuster to take a deep breath. In a letter from Lamar (Alexander) to Lamar (Smith), the Tennessee senator explains how the legislative filibuster has been used to block attempts to eliminate right-to-work laws and how a losing election in 2016 would stick it to Republicans in 2017 if they change the filibuster now. Finally, Alexander puts on his historian hat to argue that Republicans need the filibuster a lot more than Democrats: "Since World War II, there have been 22 years when there was a Democrat president and a Democrat majority in
both the House and Senate ... there have only been 6 years when there was a Republican President and Republican majority in both the House and Senate." Read it here first: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f6eaeaccfab6015631e90ed597c500d42aa764aafdbdbf1e13f63227486011a5

BAD NEWS UP ROOSTER FOR SCHUMER. Nick Gass for POLITICO on the Senate Democratic Leader-in-Waiting's poll numbers: "Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer's approval rating is at a 15-year low in his home state of New York, according to the results of a new Quinnipiac University survey out Tuesday." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f6eaeaccfab60156f04a6601ba8a15dca3bc40ba08beb6140fcd5c4d9891720f

OBAMA'S REFUGEE PLAN FACES STIFF OPPOSITION IN CONGRESS. Patricia Zengerle for Reuters: "White House plans to allow thousands more refugees into the United States face stiff opposition on Monday in the U.S. Congress, where Republican lawmakers demanded the right to review, and reject, the effort, citing fears of terrorism.... Under current law, Congress does not have to approve the Democratic administration's plan. But the House of Representatives and Senate, both controlled by Republicans, would have to appropriate money to pay for any expanded effort... [M]any Republicans, and some Democrats, worry that Islamist fighters posing as refugees might sneak into the country."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f6eaeaccfab60156c04ca04d717170019dab952cc6b87743ac8fc08a83695e3b

GRASSLEY BLASTS FBI ON CLINTON EMAILS. Our Josh Gerstein with the take: "Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley is blasting the FBI for rebuffing a judge's request for information on the law enforcement agency's investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's private email system. Grassley, whose panel oversees the FBI, reacted sharply to a letter the FBI sent Monday turning aside U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan's request for information on whether investigators have been able to retrieve records from a backup thumb drive of Clinton emails or from a server turned over by a tech company Clinton hired."

"'The FBI is behaving like it's above the law,' Grassley said in a statement provided to POLITICO on Monday evening. 'Simply refusing to cooperate with a court-ordered request is not an appropriate course of action." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f6eaeaccfab60156071de01b698da69371be537aa1e73f8378f402090bbf6f21

TUESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER. Claude Marx was the first to answer that Ronald Reagan called play-by-play during a Cubs-Pirates baseball game, filling in for Harry Caray.

TODAY'S TRIVIA: Which comes from Hill staffer Logan Ferree, runner up winner from yesterday's question: The United States cut off diplomatic relations with the Vatican over a dispute following extradition after a presidential assassination. Who did the Vatican refuse to extradite? Email rbade@politico.com.

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