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04/09/2018 07:58 AM EDT


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

GOP LEADERS ANGLE TO SUCCEED RYAN -- House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) are already positioning themselves to succeed Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) in case he resigns after the election. "They're closely monitoring the moves of the other and quietly courting Republicans who could help them clinch the top post," Rachael and Bres report this morning. "Neither man is actively rounding up votes at this point, and both of them downplayed the possibility of a looming clash. Scalise said in an interview that he would not challenge McCarthy for speaker ... while McCarthy said he's focused solely on keeping the House in November and pursuing
President Donald Trump's agenda."

"Everyone is talking about this," one veteran Republican lawmaker told them. "As Ryan's No. 2, McCarthy has the clearest path to the speakership, though it's far from a lock," they write. "Distrust among the conference's right flank contributed to his failed 2015 bid, when Ryan was recruited as a white knight. McCarthy did not lose interest, however, and he is trying to forge new alliances as well as patch up a once-rocky relationship with the House Freedom Caucus ahead of a potential second run." McCarthy allies believe his close ties to the president could help him become the House's top Republican.

McCarthy has also been working with Vice President Mike Pence to raise millions of dollars for GOP candidates. In addition to his relationships in the White House, the California Republican has also done countless favors for rank-and-file Republicans in the House. "Yet with a potentially slimmer GOP majority next year -- if Republicans even keep the House -- McCarthy might not be able to afford even a small number of Freedom Caucus members to oppose him," they warn. "The group of hard-liners view Ryan and, before him, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) as frequent sellouts to the conservative cause -- and some members don't trust that McCarthy would be much different." Much more:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d164e78cbc38a69a823f76d337100cfe89d960f2585b0dba06a593504f96cf8c1cba43dc6dda489189d74b7321a95721

Related: "House's No. 2 Dem searches for a last shot at the top spot," from The Associated Press' Lisa Mascaro: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d164e78cbc38a69a91ccd4ebfd0e480f78dc1ba5c6a92e070da6bae4f5abdc740c1775b06d9c053deedc19313bb9fca8 and "Crowley unlikely to challenge Pelosi as Speaker if Dems take House," by The Hill's Mallory Shelbourne: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d164e78cbc38a69a323f9a7ed127280b2ebb3c084113a7ae163770bc103c38b11a8f0e6515ccd706bc7690cbce849a50

CONGRESS RETURNS -- Lawmakers are back in town this week after a two-week Easter recess. "[L]awmakers will confront numerous critical issues -- including trade, immigration and digital privacy -- but they will be hard-pressed to act," The Washington Post's Mike DeBonis reports. "An absence of hard deadlines and the political realities of an election year mean that the $1.3 trillion spending bill that President Trump begrudgingly signed into law last month is probably the last significant legislation to pass Congress before voters go to polls in November."

For its part, the House will consider a largely symbolic balanced budget amendment this week. The chamber will also work on a banking deregulation bill and draft legislation to address the ongoing opioid crisis. The Senate, meanwhile, will spend much of the year confirming nominees. "The lack of high-stakes legislating -- such as last year's all-hands-on-deck GOP efforts to undo the Affordable Care Act, which ultimately failed, and pass a landmark tax overhaul, which is now law -- is prompting grumbles from rank-and-file Republicans eager to do more, with their majority at stake in November's midterm elections," DeBonis writes. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d164e78cbc38a69a92e295d9d6e35b4d3b31519027a0649575f59560a34134d7cb9f49c538faf41b598cc9d3c07f32b0

Related read: "Graham predicts new push for immigration deal," via Eli Okun: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d164e78cbc38a69a0625278a6c22113d4d21bd4a10139e679d07d38cf14f32938632ba732a57016d88a928b45cc3e66a

GOP SEIZES ON IMPEACHMENT PUSH -- A strategy is emerging among Republicans to energize conservatives and divide liberal and moderate Democrats: warning that Democrats will try to impeach the president if they win back the House. "What began last year as blaring political hyperbole on the right -- the stuff of bold-lettered direct mail fund-raising pitches from little-known groups warning of a looming American 'coup' -- is now steadily drifting into the main currents of the 2018 message for Republicans," The New York Times' Jonathan Martin reports. "The appeals have become a surefire way for candidates to raise small contributions from grass-roots conservatives who are devoted to Mr. Trump."

"But party strategists also believe that floating the possibility of impeachment can also act as a sort of scared-straight motivational tool for turnout," he writes. And Democrats differ on how to respond. "Many top officials in the capital fear it is a political trap that would distract from their core message and possibly even boomerang to harm them in November," Martin continues. "But other progressive figures see impeachment as a rallying cry of their own to galvanize the left's anti-Trump base." Supporters of the GOP strategy say the prospect of impeachment could energize disaffected voters who would otherwise be unlikely to vote without Trump on the ballot. More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d164e78cbc38a69a528397f9a19f0b34ccb48d9f7f3b087869e57954e0070e47a44a5fa8eb21d2d88d30cf2856e02698

GOOD MORNING! Thanks for reading Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Monday, April 9.

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FRIDAY'S MOST CLICKED: The Tampa Bay Times' report on Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) and Kathy Castor's (D-Fla.) zombie campaigns bill was the winner.

REPUBLICANS FEAR LOSING HOUSE, FOCUS ON SENATE -- Increasingly worried that they will lose the House, Republicans are now pouring money and resources into preserving their Senate majority. "To many, the Senate is emerging as a critical barrier against Democrats demolishing President Trump's agenda beginning in 2019," The Washington Post's Sean Sullivan reports. "Worse yet, some in the GOP fear, Democrats could use complete control of Congress to co-opt the ideologically malleable president and advance their own priorities." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is leading an effort to remind conservative voters that his chamber has unilateral power to confirm judicial and
administration nominees.

"Trump is showing a keen interest in the Senate landscape, raising money for a highly touted challenger, helping clear the primary field for an endangered senator and playfully engaging in an intraparty contest," Sullivan writes. "And marquee Republican challengers are stepping up to run for the Senate, even as House GOP retirements pile up. The latest blue-chip recruit is Florida Gov. Rick Scott." The map is also on their side: Republicans are defending just nine Senate seats this year, while 26 Democrats are up for reelection, including 10 in states Trump won in 2016. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d164e78cbc38a69a1ebed293332987917f1f808fd282b4c45408c7d6e9a865df09200612a65422c4a6ed5b2746eba4fc

Related: "'Unprecedented' outside spending hits Tammy Baldwin, boosts Kevin Nicholson in US Senate race," by the Wisconsin State Journal's Mark Sommerhauser: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d164e78cbc38a69aa2addf19795786cf095873199dd43f226a6b0b4e249676a93a929b85ee0c860aa96c871ad505ad1f

TARIFFS COULD COST GOP VOTES FROM FARMERS IN 2018 -- Trump's looming trade war with China risks a rebellion from farmers and other agricultural producers who could sustain losses from the tit for tat. "[T]he action has injected damaging uncertainty into the economy as Republicans are already struggling to maintain their hold on the House and Senate in a difficult election year," The New York Times' Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Ana Swanson report. "And control of the Senate could come down to Republican efforts to unseat Democrats in North Dakota, Indiana, Missouri and Montana -- all states staring down the barrels of a trade war's guns." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d164e78cbc38a69a776d683f3b115a8b470162fe96f9077bb8b735491faf14641e213f47bb5a88c9ed2dd4f397e24b88

Related reads: "Republicans worry Trump's trade war will blot out tax cut message," by Nancy Cook: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d164e78cbc38a69abc0bc91a75de44e6a15cb52c108b6db55c7767179e21fe520f3f57fa56966775eb5764d667f72b72 and "Heidi Heitkamp bets big on small-state politics to save her seat," from NBC News' Leigh Ann Caldwell: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d164e78cbc38a69a1068cf66140399e4d10b9b0d44cecd70f376b8aaa591edf88d9f1287b03838fbf982fe6db1238d05

GOWDY LOOKING INTO PRUITT -- House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) signaled that he's begun inquiring into EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's activities, behavior the South Carolina Republican said he doesn't "have a lot of patience for." "Gowdy didn't say whether his committee has begun a formal investigation of Pruitt or some more preliminary review, but he said that public servants must 'be a good steward' of taxpayer money," Alex Guillén reports. "Pruitt has faced a stream of questions about his $50-a-night condo rental from the wife of an energy lobbyist, as well as his expensive security arrangements and first-class air travel." More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d164e78cbc38a69abb7e9075193b0c9b14ad0a7b54b53d8c951a9e4490c26bf33b654f9b0a9d2de69c0b53defe35f5ba

Three Senate Republicans expressed concern over Pruitt's conduct in interviews Sunday. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) urged Pruitt to "stop leading with your chin" and "behave." Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who voted against confirming Pruitt, said her vote has been validated. "This daily drip of accusations of excessive spending and ethical violations serve to further distract the agency from accomplishing its very important mission," Collins told CNN's "State of the Union." And Sen. Lindsey Graham added that reports about Pruitt's rental from lobbyists "doesn't look good." Their criticism, however, comes after Trump seemingly dismissed the scandals surrounding Pruitt, tweeting that his
embattled administrator "is doing a great job!" More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d164e78cbc38a69ad46b0ea8db1aab13edf736c42c3ed3d9049c5d6dc9bdad94196cc9042c4f12ea2f36665824685056

PROGRESSIVE GROUPS URGE SENATE TO REJECT POMPEO -- Dozens of national progressive groups are calling on the Senate to reject CIA Director Mike Pompeo's nomination to be secretary of state. Roughly 70 groups signed onto a letter obtained by Huddle expressing opposition to Pompeo, warning that he "promotes principles and policies that are antithetical to American values." "His repeated advocacy for war, Islamophobia, climate change denial, hostility to human rights, including reproductive and LGBT rights, and support for torture make him dangerous and unfit to be a chief architect of U.S. foreign policy," they write.

Pompeo's confirmation faces an uncertain path in the Senate, where Republicans hold a narrow 51-49 majority. Fourteen Senate Democrats voted for him to be CIA director. But with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) publicly opposed and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) recovering from cancer treatment, Democrats could sink Pompeo's confirmation bid with united opposition. Republicans, however, could find support from vulnerable red-state Democrats running for reelection this year. But progressive groups are arguing that a Secretary of State Pompeo would be the leader of Trump's "War Cabinet." "Pompeo is unfit to serve as Secretary of State," the groups conclude. "We urge you to oppose and reject his
nomination." See the letter: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d164e78cbc38a69a79f032c47bbf2b8ca8deca0dcaa3d3095e83c47f84c8ffba6682709d5c3c9917eb95f3b1d624a925

ZUCKERBERG HITS THE HILL -- Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will meet with some lawmakers today in advance of his two-day congressional testimony this week. "The planned meetings at Capitol Hill are expected to continue through Monday afternoon and include some lawmakers from committees before whom Zuckerberg is due to testify," Reuters' David Shepardson reports. "Zuckerberg is scheduled to appear before a joint hearing of the U.S. Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees on Tuesday and the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday." The hearings follow reports that Cambridge Analytica improperly obtained data on 87 million Facebook users. More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d164e78cbc38a69a3a9922fc7739537431c364c2eecff7cf831c738e62238acf4c63dfd507eafc8d4310a7c5945b9e5f

SCOTT FOR SENATE -- Florida Gov. Rick Scott is expected to announce his long-awaited campaign against Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) today. His candidacy will test "the limits of whether a close alliance with President Donald Trump is political poison or a pathway to success in the nation's biggest swing state," Matt Dixon and Marc Caputo report. "Scott has never shied away from his friendship with Trump -- who has repeatedly urged him to run against Nelson, Florida's only statewide elected Democrat. And regardless of the constant string of White House controversies, Scott has only distanced himself from the president to the mildest of degrees."

"The Scott-Nelson matchup will be one of the nation's most closely watched Senate races this year as national Republicans try to hold on to control of the House and Senate against an energized Democratic base," they write. And Scott, who spent tens of millions of his personal fortune in his 2010 and 2014 races, doesn't intend to lose. "I'm planning on winning," Scott said in an interview. "I'm going to run to win. I'm committed to raising the resources required just like I did in 2014. I'm going to aggressively travel the state and tell people why they need to support me. But we'll see." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d164e78cbc38a69adec477d45f4022a9d3b33d0a3540fbe104b2031bd1ba25f3138daeb1813ac36a820284074c41f9d8

Related: "Florida's Governor, Eyeing Senate Run, Offers Hope to an Unsteady GOP," from The New York Times' Patricia Mazzei: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d164e78cbc38a69aaedfac6beab22d124095ffbcbf102661b6e01e7ecb9820f8c595abae75f067e7029230c63e49c3f9 and "Fla. Gov. Rick Scott expected in Washington to raise money for widely anticipated Senate run," by The Washington Post's Sean Sullivan: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d164e78cbc38a69af288cfb449b070b84644d4025c8726d3b04b19894401e8095d28144e4aeeaf2388483c692f67e704

FARENTHOLD CALLS IT QUITS -- Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas) resigned from Congress on Friday, giving into resignation calls after resisting them for months. His exit follows the opening of an ethics inquiry into allegations of sexual harassment and other inappropriate behavior from former staffers. "Farenthold has come under harsh scrutiny for using taxpayer money to settle a 2014 lawsuit brought by a former staffer over allegations of gender discrimination, sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment," POLITICO reports. AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), said Farenthold "reiterated his commitment to the speaker" to reimburse taxpayers for the
$84,000 settlement. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d164e78cbc38a69a8a46a99f92669a491a6dd406851eb754c9e331f3751e03a7376c59d73a661f3fa6253f9471c8fd38

TRANSITIONS -- Bryan Hickman has left his post as senior counsel for Senate Finance Committee Republicans to start an independent writing and communications operation, MHB Media & Communications. He will also join Princeton Strategic Communications as executive communications director.

Alexis Prieur L'Heureux will be Rep. Seth Moulton's (D-Mass.) chief of staff. Carrie Rankin, interim chief of staff, will transition into a senior advisory role.

Christopher Huntley is starting as speechwriter for Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) today. He previously served as communications director for Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.).

TODAY IN CONGRESS -- The Senate meets at 3 p.m. to resume consideration of judicial nominee Claria Horn Boom. The chamber will hold a procedural vote on Boom's nomination at 5:30 p.m. The House is out.

AROUND THE HILL -- Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) and Tom Diaz, former senior policy analyst at the Violence Policy Center, will hold a conference call briefing on gun violence prevention beginning at 1 p.m. The call-in number is 605-472-5409, and the passcode is 511402#.

The Senate will hold a swearing-in reenactment for Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) -- following her official swearing-in on the Senate floor -- in the Old Senate Chamber at 3:15 p.m.

FRIDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER -- John Stewart was first to correctly guess that the number of representatives in the House has been fixed at 435 since 1913 but temporarily increased to 437 to accommodate the admission of Alaska and Hawaii until the next reapportionment.

TODAY'S TRIVIA -- From John: This former lawmaker was the first to select an office in the first-ever House office building. Who was the lawmaker, what was the building, what office number did he select and what is that office number today? 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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