Subject: Ferrier joins McConnell staff – Pelosi outlines Dem agenda – The next Obamacare repeal vote.
From: "POLITICO Huddle" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 03 Feb 2015 07:01:01 -0600

By Lauren French (
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[email-masked]  & @laurennfrench)

With an assist from Burgess Everett.

BIG STAFF NEWS. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is bringing in an all-star team led by Hill-veteran Antonia Ferrier, his office will announce this morning. The Sen. Orrin Hatch-alumna will join the Senate Republican Communications Center as staff director, replacing John Ashbrook who is set to leave the Kentucky Republican's office in February. "Antonia is a longtime veteran of Capitol Hill with extensive communications experience in both the Senate and the House, and I look forward to welcoming her to our communications team," McConnell said. Currently a senior vice president at Forbes Tate, Ferrier has also worked for Sen. Olympia Snowe, Speaker John Boehner and then-House
 Republican Whip Roy Blunt. 'Senator McConnell is one of the smartest elected officials on the Republican side and I couldn't be more honored to join his team as Staff Director of the Senate Republican Communications Center.There's a lot to be done and I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting back to work for the new Senate Republican Majority,' Ferrier said.

Also moving up in McConnell-world is Brian Forest who has been promoted to chief speechwriter, Hunter Hawkins who will join as a creative advisor and Scott Sloofman who is coming on as a communications advisor.

HAPPENING TODAY: PELOSI OUTLINES DEMOCRATIC AGENDA.Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi will further detail the path House Democrats hope to chart forward this Congress during a speech at Brookings 
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at 10 a.m.  Here is an early look at what the California Democrat has to say on middle class economics, education and energy: "Recognizing that education has been the indispensable ladder to achieve the American Dream, the Democratic Congress acted to strengthen early education, deepen our commitment to vulnerable students, and dramatically expand access to affordable college education." 

"Knowing that our reliance on foreign fossil fuels was unhealthy for our economy, our national security, and the air our children breathe, Democrats acted to make America energy independent by increasing domestic energy production - and we increased energy efficiency and more than doubled clean energy production."

ANOTHER OBAMACARE REPEAL VOTE. Russell Berman writes for The Atlantic, House Republicans are holding the repeal vote "for the freshmen-that is, the 47 House Republicans who just took office a month ago and have never had the high honor and privilege of voting to repeal Obamacare. By holding the vote, these lawmakers can head back to their districts and tell their constituents that yes, they did everything they could to get rid of the reviled law. 'We&#39;re just getting it out of the way,' one Republican aide told the Washington Examiner, reflecting a sentiment probably shared by a party leadership that has seen this game play out several times already." 
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HAPPY TUESDAY, FEB. 03, 2015 and welcome to The Huddle, where your Huddler is hustling back to D.C. after being waylaid because of snow and rain. I got the earliest flight out so please forgive if it takes me a few hours to get back to you this morning. Please send your tips, suggestions, comments, complaints, and corrections to
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TODAY IN CONGRESS - The Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing with Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew on the 2016 budget proposal 
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at 10 a.m.  The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hear from the inspectors general on the investigators' access and authority. The hearing is 
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at 10:15 a.m. 

The Republican leadership team will hold a press conference 
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at 10 a.m.  in the Republican National Committee lobby. Also 
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at 10 a.m. , the Democratic Caucus leaders will hold a media avail outside HVC-215. Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer will hold his weekly pen & pad 
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at 11 a.m. in H-144. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats will speak on Department of Homeland Security funding in Studio A 
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at 2 p.m.  Speaker John Boehner will hold a Gold Medal Ceremony honoring the First Special Service Force 
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at 3 p.m.  inEmancipation Hall.

The Senate will meet 
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at 10 a.m.  to debate theClay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act with vote 
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at 12 p.m.  Following weekly lunches, senators will votes 
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at 2:30 on the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act. In the House, lawmakers will vote 
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between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m.  and 
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4:15  and 
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5:15 p.m. 

AROUND THE HILL - The Bourbon summit is happening (!)- sort of. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will open a reception hosted by the Kentucky Distillers&#39; Association and the Henry Clay Center to honor the famed statesman, speaker of the House and secretary of state. McConnell and guests, including a number of other members, will sip on Kentucky's finest bourbon 
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at 7 p.m.  at the Willard.

WELCOME BACK HARRY REID: 
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THE OBAMACARE PERIL FOR THE GOP. Jennifer Haberkorn and Manu Raju write, "The Supreme Court could be months away from blowing a huge hole in Obamacare - and Republicans on Capitol Hill are at odds over how they'll respond if their side wins. It's the latest example in a long-running quandary for Republicans: They don't agree on what alternative, if any, their party should offer to President Barack Obama's signature health care law. But the issue is taking on new urgency for the GOP congressional leaders as the court takes up a case that could leave more than 5 million people without Obamacare's crucial subsidies. If they simply "fix" Obamacare, they'll anger their right wing that wants the
 party to focus solely on repealing the law. If they do nothing, they invite blame for making health care unaffordable for millions of Americans - including some of their own constituents." 
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PAUL SHOOTS AND MISSES AT KOCH EVENT. Kevin Vogel and Tarini Party report, "Some of the most influential players in big-money conservative politics gathered late last month to discuss government's role in society, but their focus kept shifting to a less weighty topic: Rand Paul's outfit. The Kentucky Senator and prospective GOP presidential candidate - whose libertarian politics mesh with those of the billionaire mega-donor brothers Charles and David Koch - appeared at the annual winter meeting of the Koch donor network wearing a boxy blue blazer, faded jeans and cowboy boots. Some attendees commented that Paul's appearance was "cavalier."

HUDDLE FACTS OF LIFE: Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.

RUBIO'S OPENING SALVO ON CUBA.CNN reports, "Sen. Marco Rubio&#39;s long condemned the Obama administration&#39;s Cuba policy. But on Tuesday, he&#39;s flexing his muscles as a new subcommittee chairman to do something about it. Rubio&#39;s bringing in two State Department officials in charge of the administration&#39;s western hemisphere policy and human rights, as well as a Cuban political activist, to testify on President Barack Obama&#39;s move to normalize relations with Cuba for the first hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Western Hemisphere Subcommittee under his watch. The hearing will give him the opportunity to again highlight an issue he and his allies believe will keep him
 in the national spotlight as he moves towards a presidential run."
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SCHOCK'S DOWNTON ABBEY PROBLEM. Rising GOP-star Rep. Aaron Schock has a stylish office that he really, really doesn't want to talk about.
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THE OBAMA BUDGET: WHAT'S DEAD AND WHAT CAN WORK. Stephanie Simon digs into the 2016 budget from President Barack Obama to explain what policies have even a glimmer of hope at becoming legislation. Her assessment: tax reform has a pulse; medical research is hale and hearty; proposals to bolster manufacturing are alive and kicking; expanding preschool is in critical condition; addressing climate change is in extremely critical condition; and bolstering national security is in surgery.
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SINEMA LAUNCHES PAC. Rebekah Sanders with The Republic reports, "Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., has quietly added a new weapon to her fundraising arsenal, allowing her to stockpile cash on top of her already impressive campaign war chest and fueling speculation about her political future....Sinema has formed Getting Stuff Done PAC, or GSD PAC, which could strengthen the Democratic rising star if she runs for the U.S. Senate. Sinema is seen as a potential challenger to Republican Sen. John McCain in 2016 or Republican Sen. Jeff Flake in 2018, though she has not said if she plans to run." 
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A BEGICH COMEBACK? The Washington Post's Sean Sullivan writes, "The possibility of a Mark Begich Senate comeback bid has suddenly become more conceivable. There are three reasons why: The Alaska Democrat is not running for mayor of Anchorage; he says he is getting encouragement to run for Congress; and he is embarking on a business venture that will keep him squarely at the intersection of Washington and Alaska issues."
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MONDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Many of you said Richard Nolan was the congressman with the longest period of nonconsecutive service in the House but Logan Ferree of Rep. Jared Huffman's office was the first to correctly answer that Philip Thomas of Maryland wins with a service gap of 34 years - this according to the congressional historian who will be changing their website to reflect Thomas' place in history over Nolan and Rep. Daniel Sickles (who Huddle thought was the correct answer.)

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Logan has today's question: This congressional district has an illustrious past, having featured a congressional race with not one but two future presidents facing off against each other in the same election. Among its representatives has been one congressman who served as a Democrat, an Independent, and a Republican before leaving office in 2008. What is the congressional district, who were the two future Presidents and who was the victor of the 2008 upset? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day&#39;s Huddle. Email 
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