Subject: POLITICO Huddle: TRUMP MEETS WITH SENATE LEADERS TODAY – GOP retreat kicks off tomorrow – SESSIONS WON’T STEP ASIDE FOR TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS – Pompeo confirmed as CIA director – MORE RED FLAGS FOR HHS NOMINEE PRICE
From: "POLITICO Huddle" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2017 07:01:14 -0600
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01/24/2017 07:59 AM EDT

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

With assists from Burgess Everett and Daniel Lippman 

GETTING DOWN TO IT - President Donald Trump will meet with Senate leadership in the White House this afternoon, just a day after hosting House and Senate leaders Monday for a get-to-know-you reception. Trump will have a one-on-one sit-down with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell after today's broader meeting. Trump had a similar meeting with House Speaker Paul Ryan yesterday. 

What's old is new again: Trump used the face time with Hill leaders Monday to rehash long-debunked claims that he would have won the popular vote if not for widespread voter fraud. Several sources described the exchange, first reported by POLITICO. Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) confirmed that Trump made the voter fraud claim, but added, "I didn't pay a lot of attention to it. I was ready to move onto some policy issues. I didn't anticipate that discussion." Your Huddle host with Burgess and Kyle: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=badaf8a4a5413178b43e8dd3d8695dbe34f6c26b76ad039ef02dd778307061c7 

What the Hill is reading: "The first days inside Trump's White House: Fury, tumult and a reboot," from the Washington Post's Ashley Parker, Philip Rucker and Matea Gold.

LOOKING AHEAD - This is the last day of action on the Hill before House and Senate Republicans head to Philadelphia for their joint retreat. Confirmation votes are possible in the Senate later today although nothing is scheduled. The retreat agenda is expected to be heavily skewed towards Obamacare and tax reform as Republicans from both chambers try to get on the same page with each other and the new president. Both Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May will stop by Thursday. 

Star power: Super Bowl winning quarterback Peyton Manning will also speak at the GOP retreat, Jake and Anna report in Playbook this morning. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6144f6a6dbee0edc8fd2b57e16a7e770b9ccfb179d94ba21b36a431f05d1d60b 

MORE RED FLAGS FOR PRICE - HHS nominee Tom Price will appear before the Senate Finance Committee this morning for his second confirmation hearing. Last night, committee staff released a bipartisan memo to lawmakers raising several red flags that came up during a review of Price's tax returns and financial disclosure documents, CNN's Manu Raju and MJ Lee report. Price was already under fire for investing in healthcare stock while also working on legislation that would impact those companies. 

What's in the new memo: "The accusations include Price's alleged failure to disclose late tax payments on rental properties; undervaluing stocks he owns in a pharmaceutical company both to the committee and in his financial disclosure forms; and failure to disclose to the committee that he was previously investigated by an ethics panel for fundraising activities. CNN: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=12271b4b0e518799196b4828846f55a1c9d9287e42743dcdfc0bd84b37c1b5b8 

WELCOME TO TUESDAY, JAN. 24. Thanks for reading POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill. 

MONDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Josh Dawsey's story about Trump struggling to shake his campaign habits was the winner. 

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House convenes at 10 a.m. with first votes around 1:30 p.m. and last votes around 5 p.m. Today's agenda: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e7d6fb8114715f9fc735fb679171b13165831ae53a6dc4452cb0365bca4e4e2 The Senate meets at 10:45 a.m. with roll call votes possible during the day. 

AROUND THE HILL - The Republican Main Street Partnership, led by Reps. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) and Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio), will present the group's 2017 congressional agenda starting at 8 a.m. in 122 Cannon. 

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) and Vice Chair Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) hold a press conference after Democrats' weekly caucus meeting at 10 a.m. in the HVC alcove. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and House GOP leaders hold a 10 a.m. press avail following the Republican conference meeting in HC-8. 

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Rep. Luke Messer (R-Ind.) hold a school-choice rally with students in the CVC auditorium at 10:15 a.m. Reps. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), Scott Peters (D-Calif.) and Ami Bera (D-Calif.) hold a press conference on recent Trump administration actions that impact women's healthcare starting at 10:15 a.m. in HVC Studio B. 

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) holds his weekly pen and pad at 11 a.m. in H-144. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) holds a press conference on his anti-abortion bill in the House triangle at 11:45 a.m. 

Former Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) holds a forum on mental health and addiction issues starting at 11 a.m. in the Kennedy Caucus Room. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will deliver opening remarks. Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) will also attend. 

Senate EPW Committee ranking member Tom Carper (D-Del.) will lead a panel discussion on EPA nominee Scott Pruitt at 3:30 p.m. in SVC 202-203. 

ON SECOND THOUGHT... Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump's attorney general nominee, said he won't recuse himself from potential Justice Department probes involving the new president, despite campaigning vigorously for Trump during the election. "In written responses to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sessions said repeatedly that he is 'not aware of a basis to recuse myself' from issues surrounding Trump such as potential violations of the Emoluments Clause, a constitutional ban on officials accepting payments from foreign governments," Seung Min reports. 

Timeline: The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to take up his confirmation today but any senator can ask for the vote to be delayed one week, which is what ranking member Dianne Feinstein is expected to do. That means a committee vote on his confirmation won't happen until Jan. 31 with a Senate floor vote following in early February. Seung Min: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6ad011cac1a0c843916c061d6fcdd5783d71230a6918dba71e26692fe4e0f7d 

CONFIRMATION COUNT - Senate committees are voting on several Trump Cabinet nominees today. On the docket: The Senate Banking Committee will vote on Ben Carson's nomination to lead HUD; Senate Commerce will vote on Transportation secretary nominee Elaine Chao and Commerce secretary-designee Wilbur Ross; and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will vote on South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to be the next U.N. ambassador. 

The Senate Natural Resources Committee late yesterday postponed planned Tuesday votes on Interior secretary nominee Ryan Zinke and Energy secretary nominee Rick Perry without giving a reason. 

MULVANEY IN THE HOT SEAT - The Senate Budget Committee kicks off its confirmation hearing for Rep. Mick Mulvaney, Trump's pick to lead OMB, at 10:30 a.m. The South Carolina Republican will face questions about his failure to pay more than $15,000 in payroll taxes for his triplets' nanny more than a decade ago, something Democrats have said should disqualify him and some Republicans say deserves further scrutiny. "Certainly that's an issue. It is," said Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), a member of the Budget Committee. "I think we need to dig into the details of exactly why and how it developed." Ben Weyl on what to watch: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6ad011cac1a0c8439609417f2f15b5a704f7599097ba59dabffb30419121ea3

Mulvaney will also appear before the Homeland Security Committee at 2:30 p.m. For years, the Tea Party darling has fought to cut defense spending, putting him on a collision course with the Senate's defense hawks. Jeremy Herb with the story: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6ad011cac1a0c840b2a07f57d16c90084c2802c2a0baf9e814f10d3814b2765 

POMPEO SWORN IN AS CIA CHIEF - After protests from some Democrats, the Senate voted 66-32 Monday to confirm Mike Pompeo as CIA director. The New York Times' Doug Mills with a pic of Pompeo's swearing in at the White House soon after: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6ad011cac1a0c849496c05d1b859d0c9384980cdf48894ed0f2b255aab95ea6 

PROP DU JOUR - Someone held up a life-size spine behind Sen. Marco Rubio Monday night as he scrummed with reporters about his decision to ultimately back Rex Tillerson for secretary of State. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 11-10 (along party lines) in favor of Tillerson's nomination Monday. Joe Perticone with the pic: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=067a45ee8bd9adf51bd77da488fab741d42bcc341f90e45bfe2dac0ec588e5cc 

COMING ATTRACTIONS - "Daring Mr. Trump to make good on his grand infrastructure promises, Senate Democrats on Tuesday will unveil a trillion-dollar plan to rebuild the nation's roads, railways, airports, waterways and sewer systems over 10 years," Jennifer Steinhauer, Steve Eder and Helene Cooper report for the New York Times. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=067a45ee8bd9adf57588e0b82d13ff0c033f04d5d3e3903243ca6ff0368adaef 

ANOTHER OBAMACARE WRINKLE - Republicans who have long dreamed of block granting Medicaid-basically capping spending and turning control over to the states-could see their hopes realized now that the GOP controls both Congress and the White House. But President Trump has been sending mixed signals, giving GOP lawmakers an almost impossible task that threatens to gum up the entire process. Why it matters: "Republicans can't repeal Obamacare until they figure out what to do with Medicaid, given that GOP lawmakers from expansion states are worried about what's going to happen to their constituents," Burgess, Rachael and Rachana Pradhan report.

The issue: "In recent interviews [Trump has] said he wants to block-grant Medicaid funding to the states, but also ensure the roughly 11 million people who received coverage under the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion do not lose it," they write. "Those two things are fundamentally at odds with each other because block grants are widely viewed as likely to result in sweeping cuts in government-subsidized health insurance for the poor." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=067a45ee8bd9adf55b47d3490c56537ae7f170757c70c6388144d1716c6c2e35 

HAPPENING TODAY - California Democratic Rep. Xavier Becerra will resign shortly before being sworn in as the state's attorney general. The California Senate confirmed Becerra in a 26-9 vote Monday. 

HANDS OFF NAFTA - Republican leaders, uneasy with Trump's plans to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada, are already firing off warnings to the new president not to go too far and pull out of the deal all together, CNN's Manu Raju reports. "'I don't see any benefit in trying to crawl back into our shell as a country,' Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, told CNN." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=067a45ee8bd9adf5c49b91146a2489ddc5514d592d4d3847df6c5f78431bb48b 

MORAN WORLD NEWS - After 12 years as Sen. Jerry Moran's chief of staff, Todd Novascone is stepping away and the job will be filled by Brennen Britton, a former Moran state director and campaign manager. Alex Richard, former deputy chief of staff, will move to Kansas to become the senator's state director. Will Ruder has been promoted to legislative director, Caroline Ross will be deputy legislative director and Tom Bush will be the senator's senior legislative assistant. Perhaps most importantly, everyone is either from Kansas or has lived there for a significant amount of time.

ARRIVAL LOUNGE - Michelle Dominguez, formerly of the Department of Veterans Affairs and Rep. Chet Edwards' office is back on the Hill. This time she's working for the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee minority staff as director of oversight. Sam Lau started this week as communications director for Democrats on the House Budget Committee. 

WELCOME TO THE WORLD - C.J. Grover, comms. director for Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-Kans.) and Bailey Grover, an account manager at Porter Novelli, post on Instagram: "This is Dottie. She was born at 8:08 AM ET on Inauguration Day 2017. She was 8 lbs and 21 inches. So far she has lived through two presidencies in four days, making her GOP dad and Democrat mom quite pleased." Instapic http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=067a45ee8bd9adf5c0bfe9280088d0d831218a7c281c20bd78b40ad275b9d652

MONDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - No one correctly guessed Monday's trivia question. Let's give it one more try and if you guys still can't get it, I'll give you the answer tomorrow. Hint: The correct answer is not Strom Thurmond. 

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Who was the first known lawmaker to be elected via write in vote and in what year? 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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