Subject: POLITICO Huddle: SENATE REJECTS OBAMACARE REPEAL – McCain delivers decisive vote – SANCTIONS BILL HEADED TO WH – ‘Holy hell to pay’ if Trump fires Sessions
From: "POLITICO Huddle" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2017 06:09:16 -0600
List-Id: <1376319_6866095.xt.local>

07/28/2017 08:07 AM EDT

By Heather Caygle ([email-masked] or @heatherscope)
 
SENATE REJECTS OBAMACARE REPEAL - In a dramatic floor vote that unfolded after midnight, three Senate Republicans joined with all 48 Democrats to sink the GOP's seven-year effort to repeal Obamacare. Sen. John McCain -- who returned after a cancer diagnosis to give Republicans the vote they needed to begin debate at the start of this week -- was the pivotal third GOP vote that killed the bill. McCain's no vote was met with audible gasps from colleagues inside the chamber. "I don't think we all knew until he actually did it," Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) said after. Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) also voted against the plan.
 
"Watch the show," McCain told reporters as he was heading into the chamber. The unexpected turn of events capped at bizarre day that involved several Republicans only agreeing to vote for the "skinny repeal" after receiving assurances from Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) that the House wouldn't pass the bill and instead would go to conference. "I do my job as a senator," McCain said after he left the Senate chamber, saying he voted against the Obamacare repeal bill "because I thought it was the right vote." 
 
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reacts: "Yes, this is a disappointment. A disappointment indeed," he said after the vote failed around 1:40 a.m. Bres, Burgess, Jen and Seung Min with the play-by-play: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ca6ff1c9e538cd40160edfa7149ec236d0ee5bcf3f9d9d139d7038c339d6d956a4e591ca7ed448e7494d0059a7c54b4fe0318ad296ba9016 
 
The video: Watch McCain give the pivotal thumbs down, via NBC: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ca6ff1c9e538cd40b73ba0eb32b69e2eb63c78ada3763dbcdf76f97eddbd54e847ec5366f0e514f351798bd4588121e775851bcf5f745209 

THE MAVERICK IS BACK - McCain's decisive vote "was a shocking - yet fitting - coda for the Senate's health care battle, starring the veteran senator with a well-polished maverick streak. Within days he went from Obamacare repeal's savior to its executioner," Seung Min, Burgess and Jen write. Even a late night call from President Trump couldn't change the independent senator's mind. "He's now become a hero for Democrats, effectively voting to protect the chief legislative achievement of President Barack Obama, his opponent in the 2008 presidential campaign." Much more from our terrific health care trio (posted at 4:52 a.m.!): http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ca6ff1c9e538cd4083e2db1b6d7005236e0a8fcb88a17f6eb2fa81f64a4e4accd57451d0f3d7ace6e073de4540f3eae067be42831ff272f5 
 
OUR BUREAU CHIEF ON WHAT'S NEXT: "Health-care fight is over, and it was a disaster for GOP. Now Rs will shift to tax reform. Open question whether they can pass anything," Bres tweeted this morning.
 
Speaking of tax reform... "The White House, the Treasury Department and congressional leaders issued a six-paragraph statement Thursday that tried to show off their commitment to pursuing tax reform without delving into any policy specifics," Nancy Cook and Aaron Lorenzo report. "The only problem? Tax overhauls live and die on details - and their absence, after months of weekly meetings aimed at achieving consensus, showed that the GOP's dream of achieving tax reform may be years from completion." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ca6ff1c9e538cd408e5273dc41be95fd56af4268c62466ed8f1f98e11d6060c0ced98745948cca1a6eb9e0c35c86445df001ffbd5205b708 
 
FINALLY FRIDAY, FREE AGAIN. Thanks for tuning into POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill. Welcome to July 28, where we couldn't be more ready for the weekend (and August recess). Happy hour starts early today! 
 
THURSDAY'S MOST CLICKED: You guys went gangbusters for the pic of former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) catching up at the neighborhood Italian restaurant. 
 
HOUSE VOTES TO FUND BORDER WALL - The House passed a $789 billion defense spending package that includes what GOP leaders have dubbed a $1 billion "down payment" for Trump's border wall. "The measure's passage also caps several weeks of sparring on other contentious items, such as Congress' war authorization power and the military's rules on transgender troops," Sarah Ferris reports. The four-bill package now heads to the Senate, where it doesn't stand a chance of passing as is. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ca6ff1c9e538cd40a38cf9aa6c5816477ff18fb162683c2c2112137390bec2781f9c165c222b9bee5c7c567742df45de15d5d65814ad5289 
 
Thursday in a nutshell: "House GOP today approved a spending bill they know can't pass and Senate GOP wants to approve a health bill they hope won't become law," the New York Times' chief Washington correspondent Carl Hulse tweeted. 
 
SANCTIONS BILL HEADS TO THE PRESIDENT - The Senate voted 98-2 Thursday to send a sweeping Russia, Iran and North Korea sanctions package to the White House, essentially daring the president to reject an accord that ties his hands on the Kremlin and has received overwhelming bipartisan support on the Hill. The White House has avoided taking any clear position on whether Trump will sign the bill into law but Congress has more than enough votes to override a presidential veto if needed. Elana with the wrap up: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ca6ff1c9e538cd40eef555a8949e298ce95d0a24e5f5531bc18104b740411b92e133f18812b36186c4baeee16826afb6e919d738a02ec9fb 
 
Related: Russia retaliated to the sanctions vote by seizing two American properties and ordering the U.S. embassy in Moscow to reduce its staff by September. The New York Times: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ca6ff1c9e538cd40320900473351868570ff6b0bafdf480a4c2428764d81df4a7dbd0c5ab7d9115bc1b266588f8796b9504cbf079863c954 
 
PELOSI DEFENDS BRADY AMID INVESTIGATION - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi defended Rep. Bob Brady (D-Pa.) on Thursday amid an ongoing federal investigation into whether his campaign illegally paid another candidate to drop out in 2012. Brady has not been charged with a crime. But the campaign manager for Brady's challenger pleaded guilty earlier this week to helping hide $90,000 in payments received from Brady's campaign in 2012. "I know that Congressman Brady has fully cooperated with authorities and he has done nothing wrong," Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters during her weekly press conference Thursday. More from your Huddle host: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ca6ff1c9e538cd4022399e53305b3bc0c6a6f46d03e04b00508afa76a02bc2411c7df9d57d0756baf4f3c147e58dab7231af64ef46dc4496 
 
DELANEY HAS 2020 VISION - Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.) plans on bypassing runs for governor and reelection and has told associates he is seriously considering a bid for president in 2020, according to two Democratic sources, Kevin and yours truly report. Delaney, who could self-fund a run for governor, will skip a challenge against popular GOP Gov. Larry Hogan and will leave Democrats to defend his district, which he nearly lost in 2014. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ca6ff1c9e538cd404d6d0b61a5a86fd3966d637fee16c32a046f253ca0b7e1710c26f10a4d61226ca53b69eb493dfdce8ee60897a37847e7 
 
Speaking of 2020 contenders, Michael Kruse profiles Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) for POLITICO Magazine today: Chatter about Moulton for president "is precisely the type of talk that's currently causing disgusted eye-rolling among significantly more tenured Democrats in Massachusetts and Washington," Kruse writes. But Moulton, with three degrees from Harvard and four decorated tours as a Marine in Iraq, has top military allies on his side, who see him as the antithesis of Trump. Much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ca6ff1c9e538cd408aa45b567c8f8c12b4226b76f61bd554c5bd0d1c80ec65e8d77740a5a53d9037784209263bd7ab9492f538c2d884f0ea 
 
'HOLY HELL TO PAY' - Sen. Lindsey Graham wasn't mincing his words Thursday, telling reporters there would be "holy hell to pay" if Trump fires Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The South Carolina Republican took it a step further when asked what the reaction on Capitol Hill would be to Trump firing special counsel Robert Mueller, calling it the possible "beginning of the end of the Trump presidency." Graham also outlined bipartisan legislation that would block Trump from firing the special counsel - by requiring a judicial review first, Darren Samuelsohn reports. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ca6ff1c9e538cd4041e4f3535e18d5e42b8e87dab4006d9aef356dedae1314fa70ab6f6896715d06bb701cecf63463d76357c3d910c8b6ea 
 
Related: Sessions says Trump's criticism of him over is "kind of hurtful." Fox News: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ca6ff1c9e538cd40600000936452bd17aeac8b7d53cac524d9034a8de98991d000d40e694a80bd47ae5f07b329e9fd75a5c4a2b5f5bee0ea 
 
TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House meets at 9 a.m. with votes around 10:30 a.m. Today's agenda: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ca6ff1c9e538cd40403b92650b609fc154fa2d8cff85a1092f7732072b4d3b1f31755d5c28cf20e4876ed899db2e4f705488f0e4f4d7a928 The Senate is out, returning Monday at 4 p.m. 
 
AROUND THE HILL -  House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and other members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus hold an 11 a.m. press conference on their bill to establish legal status for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. 
 
THURSDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Peter Roff was first to guess that Ross Perot, whose candidacy split the Republican vote allowing Bill Clinton to be elected, appeared on all 50 states' ballots despite quitting the race mid-summer. 
 
TODAY'S TRIVIA - Peter with today's question: Who is the national union president to also be elected to office in Washington, what was the office and what was the union? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send answers my way: [email-masked] 
 
GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning. 

To view online:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ca6ff1c9e538cd40d6ca23325c926b894783dd00e5451ea465ef77d369c64e23c08845d1fa0e01a3a0a1dc89db1cc6ac8e67799012f7dce5
 To change your alert settings, please go to http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ca6ff1c9e538cd40d566f4ea2d7b6a9773ab59eec0c860790556a47e42a3c795bbfd669777571c72b0ea49066c53ec97ad66c04547c2ce04 or http://click.politicoemail.com/profile_center.aspx?qs=c1c81b2ef644fde1dd3c1f6178ef6a8ea3ee660992025bd424a62da5c82881189c1b786b9de9450d7a9c540787c32e2ffd4df645ca13ee7c
This email was sent to [email-masked] by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA

To unsubscribe,http://www.politico.com/_unsubscribe?e=0000015d-8918-d43a-a3dd-bb3f31ee0000&u=0000014e-f0fe-dd93-ad7f-f8fffbc40000&s=1b609306d9405037a309c905190b415925495a4037b8fda27839758283f8c685ce4183eeef080069009875a14a28f082e989b62035fb5cd3c467167a813e3689