Subject: POLITICO Huddle: THREE DOZEN DEMS AND COUNTING SKIPPING INAUGURATION – Senate schedule: Eight confirmation hearings this week – GOP WAR BREWING OVER MEDICARE REFORM – Price faces more criticism for healthcare stock buys
From: "POLITICO Huddle" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2017 06:59:33 -0600
List-Id: <1376319_6253154.xt.local>

01/17/2017 07:57 AM EDT

By Heather Caygle ([email-masked] or @heatherscope) 

With an assist from Daniel Lippman 

DEM INAUGURAL DEFECTIONS TOP THREE DOZEN - Welcome to inauguration week, Huddle readers. Donald Trump will be president in three days and already around 40 House Democrats have announced they won't attend his inauguration Friday, many in protest of Trump's weekend Twitter attacks against Rep. John Lewis. Trump lashed out at Lewis over the weekend, saying he was "all talk" after the revered Georgia Democrat told NBC Trump wasn't a "legitimate" president because of Russian meddling in the election. 

Keeping count: Here's a list of Democrats who have announced they're boycotting Trump's inauguration: Reps. Karen Bass, Don Beyer, Earl Blumenauer, Brendan Boyle, Anthony Brown, Judy Chu, Katherine Clark, Yvette Clarke, Lacy Clay, Steve Cohen, John Conyers, Mark DeSaulnier, Keith Ellison, Adriano Espaillat, Dwight Evans, Marcia Fudge, Al Green, Ra&uacute;l Grijalva, Luis Guti&eacute;rrez, Jared Huffman, Pramila Jayapal, Barbara Lee, Zoe Lofgren, Ted Lieu, Jerrold Nadler, Chellie Pingree, Marc Pocan, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Raul Ruiz, Jos&eacute; Serrano, Kurt Schrader, Carol Shea-Porter, Darren Soto, Mark Takano, Nydia Velazquez, Maxine Waters, Bonnie Watson Coleman and John Yarmuth. 

What's next? Democratic leaders jumped to Lewis' defense over the weekend but none have called for a widespread boycott of the inauguration. While more than three dozen lawmakers deciding to stay home is a significant number, it's still only one-fifth of the House Democratic caucus. And so far, no Democratic senators have joined the protest. 

If Democrats choose to boycott Trump's inauguration en masse, it could do serious damage to a relationship they have to cultivate, in some way, for at least the next four years. And Democratic leaders, however much they disagree with Trump, also see potential opportunities to work with him in ways they probably couldn't with a traditional Republican president. 

Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Cedric Richmond told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Monday night he still hasn't made up his mind about whether to attend the inauguration. "If I were not the chairman, there's no way I would be there," he said. "But being in a different role, I think that sometimes you have to make sacrifices. So if I'm there, sitting through that inauguration, you will know that I'm absolutely making a sacrifice to be there." 

IF YOU LIKE YOUR HEALTH CARE PLAN... President-elect Trump sent shock waves through the Republican party over the weekend when he made a promise that's nearly impossible to keep, telling the Washington Post his Obamacare replacement will provide "insurance for everybody." Trump's vow to insure everyone is vastly different than the Republican talking point of "universal access" for whatever replacement they put in place. 

Republicans still haven't coalesced around a healthcare plan to provide insurance for some, much less coverage for "everybody" as Trump promised. But one thing is clear: Many GOP senators don't expect the solution to be the Obamacare replacement crafted by then-House Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price, now Trump's HHS nominee and point man on the health care repeal. "I don't know what his bill said two years ago. My guess is that Tom Price as head of HHS will approach things vastly different than Tom Price who was introducing legislation that was never going to become law, OK?" said Sen. Bob Corker. Burgess and Jennifer Haberkorn with the latest: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=faacf831ff8e72a897f462b241f74e977a7578f03a8d04d64a229b41f8c61e37 

Democrats organized protests nationwide over the weekend to fight GOP efforts to repeal Obamacare: "They want to go from affordable care to chaos. They want to make America sick again. We are not going to let that happen," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said at a rally Monday with more than a dozen other California Democratic lawmakers, reports the L.A. Times. 

And some Republicans were feeling the heat in their own backyards: Colorado Rep. Mike Coffman snuck out of his own event early, angering constituents who were there to talk about the healthcare law, reported The Denver Post. And House GOP Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers was booed and drowned out by chants of "save our healthcare" during an MLK rally Monday, NBC reports. 

INAUGURATION WEEK, LET'S DO THIS. Welcome to Tuesday, Jan. 17. Thanks for reading POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill. 

FRIDAY'S MOST CLICKED: The Hill's video of Speaker Ryan dabbing was the big winner. 

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House meets in a pro forma session at 12 p.m. The Senate convenes at 3 p.m. and will be in a period of morning business until 4:15 p.m. with a vote around 4:45 p.m. 

AROUND THE HILL - The architect of the Capitol is expected to remove the controversial student painting depicting police-community relations in Ferguson after ruling the artwork violates standards set by House leaders. Kyle with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=faacf831ff8e72a8165c8d11f500de67699359e4851a8f45ef6890ff51bcf1f1 

MEDICARE SHOWDOWN BREWING - One place where House Speaker Paul Ryan and President-elect Trump definitely don't see eye to eye? Medicare. "The clashing philosophies between the GOP's two top pols - Trump once called Ryan's doctrine 'political suicide' - is about to come to a head," Rachael reports this morning. 

House Republicans will have to confront that reality when they begin working on their fiscal 2018 budget this spring. "If Ryan sides with Trump and doesn't include his proposal to turn Medicare into a voucher program in the budget, it may never pass. That's because most House Republicans won't vote for budget that doesn't 'balance' in 10 years - and Ryan can't get there without taking on entitlements, including Medicare." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=41e06c817c1a8eb71709f478e44b9d265439caf28e5d1a1c944499bec9c2b0bd 

FAR FROM YES ON TAX REFORM - Trump slammed a key piece of the House GOP tax reform plan over the weekend, showing just how far Republican leaders have to go to pass the first significant tax overhaul in decades. GOP leaders' border adjustment proposal "would tax imports and exempt exports as part of a broader plan to encourage companies to locate jobs and production in the U.S. But Mr. Trump, in his first comments on the subject, called it 'too complicated,'" report Rich Rubin and Peter Nicholas for the Wall Street Journal. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=41e06c817c1a8eb76df8c236c64264d809f287efb01dbce70c563922b8fed911 

THE SHOW MUST GO ON - The House is out this week but the Senate is hard at work, holding another round of confirmation hearings for Trump's nominees. On tap today: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee kicks off its confirmation hearing for Interior secretary nominee Ryan Zinke at 2:15 p.m. Education secretary nominee Betsy DeVos testifies before the Senate HELP Committee starting at 5 p.m. 

Later this week: The Senate will hold four confirmation hearings on Wednesday: Tom Price's HHS nomination, EPA nominee Scott Pruitt, Commerce nominee Wilbur Ross and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Trump's pick for U.N. ambassador. Energy secretary nominee Rick Perry and Treasury secretary nominee Steve Mnuchin both have their confirmation hearings on Thursday. 

Related: Ethics paperwork still missing for Trump Cabinet nominees, from CNN: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=41e06c817c1a8eb7343b2b707d4c5223773851bf095f876a1c095f5d0da5543b 

Sen. John McCain said he's likely to support secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson, Fox News anchor Martha Maccallum tweeted Monday. 

PRICE IN HOT WATER FOR STOCK BUY - Rep. Tom Price is again coming under scrutiny for new reports he purchased stock in a medical device company just days before unveiling a bill to benefit the manufacturer. "Price bought between $1,001 to $15,000 worth of shares last March" in the medical device company, CNN reports. A Price aide said the stock was purchased by a broker without the lawmaker's knowledge. The latest news comes after the Wall Street Journal reported in December that Price "traded more than $300,000" in healthcare shares while sponsoring legislation that would impact those companies. Manu Raju with the latest: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=41e06c817c1a8eb70e454b4ea74bf67979db7e1078f5a15f38bcaf4333761c82 

In response, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer renewed calls for the Office of Congressional Ethics to "conduct an immediate, thorough investigation" into Price's stock buys. 

WARREN WON'T TOUCH LEGITIMACY QUESTION - While Democrats rushed to Rep. John Lewis defense over the weekend, most stopped far short of joining the civil rights icon in questioning President-elect Trump's legitimacy as president. Speaking to reporters in Boston Monday, prominent Trump critic Sen. Elizabeth Warren "would not directly answer several questions about whether she, like Lewis, does not see Trump as a legitimate president," reports Joshua Miller for the Boston Globe. "Warren, who is going to the inauguration, responded by stating the simple fact that hung over all the breakfast festivities: Trump will be sworn in Friday as president." More: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=41e06c817c1a8eb7b68efa912d1cf9c79f079a8773352e979d6b8982d4894b1c 

TWEET DU JOUR: @SenatorLankford: I'm calling for a #RussianHacking investigation into this #Cowboys loss. Unbelievable! Congrats @SenRonJohnson

A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS - The American Action Network, the group with ties to House Speaker Paul Ryan, is launching a Spanish-language ad buy touting plans to repeal Obamacare in six House GOP districts with growing Latino voter bases. Voters in districts represented by Reps. Jeff Denham, Mike Coffman, Barbara Comstock, David Valadao and Will Hurd will see the ads over the next two weeks on Univision and Telemundo. Digital versions of the ads will air in Rep. Carlos Curbelo's Miami district. The Washington Post's Ed O'Keefe: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=41e06c817c1a8eb7c10b4009dfe00ac1c47e7a9eaebb4eeba6dc32047116cb24 

CHECK THIS OUT: Moving congressional offices is never easy, especially for South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson, who as Emma Dumain pointed out, "has made a practice of keeping and displaying every honor he's ever received, dating back to his kindergarten diploma." His office has released a new time lapse video showing just what it takes to move 400-plus pictures of plagues: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6818ada60bf7b6054ee708fede2b0c6ea58b16ffc49717ed79b175dea543f000 

INGRAHAM MULLING SENATE BID - Conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham is mulling a 2018 challenge to Sen. Tim Kaine, the Washington Examiner reports. Most recently, Ingraham was under consideration for White House press secretary. Reps. Dave Brat and Barbara Comstock are also potential GOP challengers to Kaine. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6818ada60bf7b60517bfcd4573a98be42390b6ce086cf956154fdde494717d2c 

ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES - Greg Lemon, previously communications director for former Nevada Rep. Joe Heck, has a new gig in the same role for Rep. Rob Wittman. Greg says one thing he did not bring with him to Wittman's office is his old email address. He can now be reached at [email-masked].

Rachael Dean Wilson is leaving her job as communications director for Sen. John McCain. Julie Tarallo is the new communications director for the Arizona Republican. David All, a former speechwriter for the late Sen. George Voinovich and communications director for former Rep. Jack Kingston, is launching a new communications agency, OneNineNinety, based in Columbus, Ohio. 

Today is Mara Stark-Alcal&aacute;'s last day as press secretary for Senate Appropriations Committee Democrats. She's leaving Capitol Hill for a new role with the American Public Transportation Association. Lauren French, a POLITICO alumna, is returning to the Hill, this time as communications director for new House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley. 

Abiola Afolayan has left Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee's office, moving to Rome to work for the World Food Program on international strategic partnerships and communications. Kristin Nicholson starts on Feb. 1 as the director of the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown; she spent 20 years on the Hill, most recently as chief of staff to Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI).

SPOTTED: Jim Inhofe waiting for his bags at DCA baggage claim yesterday ... At the Trump hotel bar last night: Rudy and Judith Giuliani, Bill Paxton and Vin Weber, and Sen. Roy Blunt

WELCOME TO THE WORLD - Natalie Buchanan, director of member services for Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Sean Joyce, COS for Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), have welcomed Genevieve Covington Joyce. Instapic from when her "new favorite uncle" Kevin [McCarthy] came to visit:  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d0fc85c2ed186d3d2efa18cb8bec6f74c279f7254d3a81e733f26253d19bbc14

WEEKEND WEDDING - Lauren Davis, research analyst for the Senate Armed Services Committee and daughter of Karen and Rick Davis (former McCain presidential campaign manager), married Michael Lueptow, investigative counsel for the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, at Keswick Hall near Charlottesville on Saturday. Sen. McCain and his wife attended. Wedding pics:  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6818ada60bf7b605e46b8a084febe22f6b83f00da09def1492b2642a0961b41f and  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6818ada60bf7b6054f571ed7cca7e1934d91f41f721eb17d942ee2fb081594b9

FRIDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Ben Khouri was the first to guess Montana Rep. Jeanette Rankin, the first woman to hold national office, voted against both WWI and WWII. 

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Ben with today's question: Under the 12th Amendment, if there is no majority in the electoral college for a presidential election, it's settled by the House of Representatives. However, it also stipulates that if there is no majority in a vice presidential election, it's settled by the Senate. This has only occurred once. 

In what year was the election, who was the victorious vice president, and where was he from? The first person to correctly answer gets a shout-out in tomorrow's Huddle. Send suggestions for trivia questions my way: [email-masked] 

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