Subject: POLITICO Huddle: AN EVEN SHORTER SENATE CALENDAR? -- Senate locks in gun votes -- Pelosi nixes assault weapons push -- APPROPS JOCKEYING UNDERWAY
From: "POLITICO Huddle" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 17 Jun 2016 05:28:35 -0600

06/17/2016 07:25 AM EDT

By Burgess Everett (@burgessev or [email-masked]) 

Featuring Seung Min Kim 

AN EVEN SHORTER SUMMER SESSION? DON'T BET ON IT: The talk among the Senate's chattering class is that the chamber could bolt for the summer in two weeks -- leaving for the July 4th holiday and then not come back until September. That would excuse some folks up for reelection from talking about Donald Trump all the time, but would also quickly gift the Democrats a talking point about how little the Senate is in session (It could easily be the least in 60 years: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=dd58213a9a6505ab29199ab5eda87fdd6caa4e8f6935f57fe8c466e2c0bbbc92 But Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn tells me it ain't happening -- so cancel that early vacation. "I've not heard that, so I would call that highly suspect. I think I would know. We've
 got work to do."

SENATE LOCKS IN GUN VOTES FOR MONDAY: In the first sign of bipartisan cooperation on the guns issue after the killings in Orlando, the Senate has agreed to vote on four gun bills: Cornyn's bill to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists and a Democratic alternative from Sen. Dianne Feinstein as well as a universal background checks bill from Sen. Chris Murphy and a GOP alternative from Sen. Chuck Grassley. There are a couple tweaks from past iterations, but three of these proposals have received votes in the past seven months and the Grassley one got a vote in 2013. The expectation is they will all fail. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=dd58213a9a6505abca0d5f55358d99d38c72c7e0d4276761f73d8d8fbbab5b29

But: A group of GOP senators are talking to moderate Democrats about putting something together that, in their view, could pass the Senate. GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Jeff Flake of Arizona are seeking Democratic co-sponsors for a bill that they believe would straddle the line between warring liberals and conservatives ... "Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota confirmed she is speaking with the Republicans writing the measure, and sources working on the legislation said they hope that moderate Democratic Sens. Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Joe Manchin of West Virginia will join on as well." Click through for details on what they're working on:
 http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=dd58213a9a6505abcb987790ba4b9f4a872b28b96dd7ed2ca7378dfeb1a61d55

Grand return: Sen. Bernie Sanders missed the Democratic filibuster but he will be back for the gun votes on Monday. Bernie has not voted since January. 

DEMS AVOID ASSAULT WEAPONS ISSUE: Some Democrats are pushing to ban assault weapons on the Hill, yet everyone knows that proposal cannot pass either chamber and would divide Democrats from red states from party leaders. Instead they are focusing on the terror loophole, which Democrats argue is something that is actually doable (we'll see). But that isn't stopping some in the party from pressing ahead with a campaign to prohibit buying military-style weapons. Sarah Wheaton and Bres have the killer anecdote from inside the House Democratic caucus: "In a private meeting of Democrats on Wednesday, Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) begged his colleagues to push a measure that might have actually
 prevented Sunday morning's carnage in Orlando: an assault weapons ban. Cicilline was answering the call of President Barack Obama and presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, to keep 'weapons of war' off the streets. But Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi nixed it. Better, she said, to focus on barring terror suspects from buying guns. That measure's a no-brainer for Democrats, she reasoned, and easier to explain to the public." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=dd58213a9a6505ab2e098de1f258d3d00564142e3ee06e263feeb4d55775709d

Ryan noncommittal: House Speaker Paul Ryan tells NBC's Chuck Todd in an interview to air on Sunday that he doesn't want to rush things on the terrorism loophole. "So we can't just be very clumsy, and rush to judgment, and do something that actually harms our ability to do terrorist investigations. We've got to get it right. And we're going to take a deep breath, and make sure that this is done correctly, so that the policy of making sure that the authorities know, and have time to respond to if a person who is on a terrorist watch list is trying to buy a gun, that they're notified."

W FILLS TRUMP VOID: It's tough for ol' Burg to imagine Ayotte and other at-risk Sens. like John McCain, Rob Portman, Roy Blunt and Ron Johnson doing fundraisers with Trump. So instead they are getting a hand from former President George W. Bush, who has already done two fundraisers and is scheduling three more, former Politicos-turned-Timesmen Maggie Haberman and J-Mart report. "Friends say that the former president is deeply bothered by Mr. Trump's campaign message, especially his derogatory remarks about Muslims and immigrants. At the event with Mr. McCain, Mr. Bush stressed the importance of preserving the Republican-held Senate as a 'check and balance' on the White House, suggesting
 that such a check was needed, whether the next president is Mr. Trump or Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=dd58213a9a6505aba97cfbc6ea49685fb3cbfd298591cda7cda4846b3cbe8375

Now it's seriously Friday. And welcome to the Huddle, your play-by-play guide to everything Capitol Hill, where I've been glad to have you with me this week but am even happier to turn you all over to Heather for the rest of time. Please send tips to [email-masked] and follow along on Twitter @burgessev and holler at Heather when she gets back from vaca at [email-masked].

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The Senate is in at 11 a.m. for a pro forma session. The House is not in session. 

AROUND THE HILL - Everyone should check out that new Kaytranada on Spotify. 

THURSDAY'S MOST CLICKED LINK: The filibuster wrap led by the fearless Seung Min Kim. Give her a hand, folks. 

McCAIN SAYS OBAMA 'DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE' FOR ORLANDO: And then of course he walked it back. Arizona Sen. John McCain has never been shy about attacking the president over his foreign policies, but just a few minutes after this one came out of his mouth, McCain was doing damage control. "'I did not mean to imply that the president was personally responsible' ... McCain said in his statement, issued as his initial comments were drawing heated criticism from Democrats. McCain, who lost to Obama in the 2008 presidential election, spoke to reporters in the Capitol Thursday while Obama was in Orlando visiting with the families of those killed in Sunday's attack and some of the survivors. 'Barack
 Obama is directly responsible for it, because when he pulled everybody out of Iraq, al-Qaida went to Syria, became ISIS, and ISIS is what it is today thanks to Barack Obama's failures, utter failures, by pulling everybody out of Iraq.'" Erica at AP: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=dd58213a9a6505ab360cbb19f59f5bbf33c88084e62ef3277241505c23b67e7f

Opponent attacks: Kelli Ward, the primary opponent for McCain, spent yesterday retweeting stuff like: "McCain tried to speak his mind, but he's been tainted by serving too long in the PC world. RETIRE."

WHAT IT'S LIKE TO DO OUR JOB: Manu has a nice video piece showing how awkward it is for us to talk to Hill Republicans about Trump. And Manu really tries to suppress a smile when Sen. Lamar Alexander says he'll vote for the nominee but isn't sure it will be Trump: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=dd58213a9a6505aba7f837a5edfee6592bbf6788f01f3f0405d46045fcf1dc6b

The latest defector: "Republican U.S. Rep. Fred Upton says he is not planning to endorse Donald Trump for president, deepening the divide in Michigan's GOP congressional delegation about supporting the party's presumptive nominee." Detroit News: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=dd58213a9a6505ab5e2afcd08ccb71f78f4652da148d471ef49a0a84615e22f2

TEPID SUPPORT FOR DWS CONTINUES: Is that a change in tune from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi? Here's what she said last month when the knives first came out from DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz: "Chairwoman Wasserman Schultz has the respect of her colleagues for her efforts and her leadership to unify the party and to win the election in November." Here's what Pelosi said yesterday: "I was on the DNC for a long time before I came to Congress, and we took great pride in being the ones who voted for who would be the chair of the DNC. So if you want to know who is going to be the chair of DNC, I think you should look to the membership of the Democratic National Committee."
 Pelosi's office says her position hasn't changed, per The Hill: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=dd58213a9a6505ab42fb45cfc62d464b46188adb47e1aa77abbce412f25b5318

POLITICO PRO THEFT -- House Approps jockeying underway: "With Rep. Hal Rogers reaching his six-year term limit as committee chairman at the end of this Congress, Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey is the front-runner to succeed him, with Alabama's Robert Aderholt keeping his name in the mix to mount a possible challenge. Rep. Kay Granger of Texas was also once seen as a potential candidate for chairmanship, but she has thrown her support to Frelinghuysen, according to aides and lobbyists." Ben Weyl and Jeremy Herb (behind our paywall): http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=dd58213a9a6505ab3269dbf32392f4c9d1deb3f32f9237bc4231ffe49d14c574

LIVING HISTORY: Marco Rubio's now got seven days to decide if his flip-flop on his seat is for real. NRSC Chairman Roger Wicker tells the Tampa Bay TImes calls it a "profoundly pivotal moment in the political history of Florida." Indeed, one day your kids will ask you what is ws like to through the last days of the 2016 Senate race's filing deadline. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=dd58213a9a6505ab28792d534ea840c5f3b8aaa17b3275dfe520cc0c442d012a

YOU'RE INVITED: Pro Health Care Briefing: Scope of Practice in the ACA Era - Leading experts examine the policy debate over broadening and enhancing the health care workforce, particularly in primary care, mental health and aging. Tuesday, June 21 - 8am; Liaison Capitol Hill - 415 New Jersey Ave. NW. RSVP: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=dd58213a9a6505ab577e57a44fcf7cf9bcc82932bfad4c3edee5204c561eccac

THURSDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Daniel Yager was the first to report that as a boy Sam Rayburn rode ten miles on horseback to hear Texas Congressman Joseph Weldon Bailey deliver a lengthy three-hour speech. The $10 billion check is in the mail. 

TODAY'S TRIVIA - I'll take today's question: Why is the Beltway built at a 10-mile radius? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day's Huddle. Email me at [email-masked]

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