Subject: POLITICO Huddle: CONGRESS BRACES FOR MORE BATTLES -- North Carolina to hold new election -- HOUSE PREPS ACTION ON GUN CONTROL -- Dems demand North Korea briefing
From: "POLITICO Huddle" <[email-masked]>
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Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2019 07:11:59 -0600
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02/22/2019 08:10 AM EDT
        
By MELANIE ZANONA ([email-masked]; @MZanona)

        
THE NEXT BIG BATTLES ON CAPITOL HILL -- And you thought the shutdown fight was crazy. Democrats are preparing to go to war with President Donald Trump over his national emergency declaration, starting with a disapproval resolution that will be filed today. But that's just one of several congressional battles on the horizon. Here are five other thorny issues and "must pass" items that lawmakers will have to tackle in the coming months.

  NAFTA: Trump's revamp of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) still needs to be approved by Congress, which means the fate of his trade deal is in the hands of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). But even though Democrats and the president have some common ground on trade issues, they may be reluctant to hand Trump a major victory. And so far, Pelosi has been noncommittal on the trade agreement.    Debt ceiling: The government is set to reach the debt ceiling by March 1, though the Treasury Department can take "extraordinary measures" to extend the government's borrowing authority for a few more months. At that point, however, lawmakers will need to raise the ceiling or else risk
 financial calamity - and things could get messy. Democrats have previously called for a clean hike, but they may try to attach other priorities now that they control the House.   Budget caps: Lawmakers are eager to start writing the next round of appropriations bills. But they can't get to work until Congress lifts the budget caps and sets spending levels for fiscal 2020, which could be a tall order. Congress last struck a bipartisan, two-year budget deal when Republicans controlled both chambers.   Spending programs: There is a whole host of expiring or already expired spending programs that will soon need to be reauthorized. That includes the Violence Against Women Act, the National
 Flood Insurance Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Expect lawmakers to try to use the program extensions as bargaining chips in other fights.   The Mueller report: Special counsel Robert Mueller is on the verge of ending his two-year Russia probe and is expected to submit a summary of his findings to Congress, according to multiple reports. However, it's unclear whether Congress will be privy to the entire confidential report or if the findings will be disclosed publicly, which could tee up a fierce battle on Capitol Hill as Democrats fight to make the report public. 
NORTH CAROLINA READIES FOR REDO -- The North Carolina board of elections has ordered a new election to be held in the state's disputed 9th district, where constituents have been left without a representative for months. Republican Mark Harris beat out Democrat Dan McCready in the midterms, but the board refused to certify the results amid accusations that one of Harris' campaign consultants conducted an illegal ballot-harvesting scheme. During a dramatic round of hearings this week, it was also revealed that Harris' campaign attorney withheld documents relevant to the investigation. Harris voiced support for a new election after the revelation. 

What's next: The board still needs to set a date for a new election, with a May primary and October general election as two possibilities, according to the Charlotte Observer. But it's unclear whether Harris will even run again, and other Republicans are already eyeing the seat. Laura with the dispatch: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3a295f8465000111cebbb8c072674fca23f6fbd8911b83b8779d43dce821724cf5ebcd23f12589ab31d241ea6ffb3af2 

T.G.I.F.! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Friday, Feb. 22, where your Huddle host is conducting an informal poll of who had the worst week: Roger Stone, Jussie Smollett or Jordyn Woods? Send or tweet your picks my way.

THURSDAY'S MOST CLICKED:  Marianne and Beatrice's report on the GOP Senators to watch on Trump's national emergency was the winner.

**Join us for POLITICO's Ninth Annual State Solutions Conference. On the sidelines of the National Governors Association Winter Meeting, the program features a series of exclusive conversations with governors from across the country to share their innovative solutions to the states' complex challenges. RSVP here.**

GUNS TO GET FLOOR VOTE -- The House is expected to vote on a pair of gun control measures next week, allowing Democrats to deliver on one of their top legislative priorities. One bill would require universal background checks for all firearm sales, while the other would extend the review period for gun purchases. But even though Democrats are excited to take their first congressional action on gun control in years, both bills are dead-on-arrival in the Senate, underscoring the reality of a divided government.

Related: "SC Rep. Jim Clyburn says bill closing 'Charleston loophole' will pass the House," by Caitlin Byrd of the Post and Courier: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3a295f846500011130728e0037fb18fb8311decf6d1eef4b86f9404ac42e0596c998cb366559bc0ebb986a462cdc1c09

MORE COHEN FOR CONGRESS -- Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen is going for the hat trick next week. Cohen will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee behind closed doors on Tuesday, followed by two other congressional hearings in the House. Lawmakers have been eager to grill Cohen before he heads to federal prison. Andrew and Darren Samuelsohn have more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3a295f8465000111589602a981d4312e7d52a41dd9e3d8e191ddd52ac3b83adf1095f8bd65deae30139fec538f69bd70 

DEMS DEMAND DETAILS ON NORTH KOREA -- A trio of key Democrats is demanding a briefing on Trump's first summit with North Korea as the president prepares for a second meeting with Kim Jong Un next week. The lawmakers are also accusing the Trump administration of withholding key information about the negotiations, and complained that the administration has yet to submit a report to Congress about North Korea's nuclear capabilities. "Our ability to conduct oversight of U.S. policy toward North Korea on behalf of the American people has been inappropriately curtailed by your administration's unwillingness to share information with Congress," Reps. Eliot Engel, Adam Smith and Adam Schiff wrote
 in a letter to Trump. Andrew with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3a295f8465000111cad5ff968f4f5e441ca49e5f9ab052dd27059bbb28ed70615ddaafeb54f7f3c11b67a009fd7c0a6c 

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE -- GOP Senators are furious that the Trump administration failed to submit a report to Congress determining who killed Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi - and Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) has been working to quell the Republican rage. Risch, the new chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is desperate to avoid a nasty intraparty fight and has been doing anything he can to calm down Republicans. But in some cases, Risch has given potentially misleading information to members. Andrew with the dispatch: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3a295f8465000111bb054213ad5341e33f0b1305f6791f6c3555106761186f881f438001158a0e03d1099601d2ee2e8f 

NJ SHOWS LOVE FOR BOOKER -- Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) has picked up presidential endorsements from nearly every lawmaker in his home state. The list, which includes more than 50 Democrats, includes Gov. Phil Murphy, Sen. Bob Menendez and all 11 Democratic members of the New Jersey House delegation. The endorsements are a huge show of force for Booker, who is competing in a crowded primary field that includes some of his Senate colleagues. "I'm honored to have the endorsement of so many great New Jersey Democratic leaders," Booker said in a statement. More from Matt Friedman: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3a295f8465000111b20e1cc5a13de5d18425de1870af5572b06a0a2e973f6bd4db310998e43a9bf554db868632d42fbb 

POMPEO RULES OUT SENATE BID -- It was over before it even began. Secretary of State Pompeo has officially ruled out a bid for a Kansas Senate seat, despite Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reportedly asking Pompeo to consider the move. Pompeo, a former Kansas congressman, had previously dodged questions on the subject, but told NBCS's "Today" show on Thursday that "it's ruled out." "I'm going to be the secretary of State as long as President Trump gives me the opportunity to serve as America's senior diplomat," Pompeo said. More from Caitlin Oprysko: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3a295f84650001117e8192dea04ffe89b3477d2aa6b87427b42e9c7e80cb485d25825ba10082039eb25c77136a20b50d 

Related: "Steve King: 'I have nothing to apologize for,' plans to run for re-election," via The Des Moines Register: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3a295f8465000111530add9aebeb95412ceba050acd890c8d5f609fd945785519ebe04fdb07d6bb44d797843dac4bc9a 

WEEKLY WINNERS AND LOSERS -- Congress may have been on recess this week, but the news cycle didn't seem to notice. Here are our picks for the biggest victories and failures.

W: Bernie Sanders, whose 2020 campaign is off to a hot start after raising an eye-popping $4 million during his first day as a presidential candidate and crushing his competition in the process.

L: Roger Stone, who was placed under a full gag order and forced to apologize after posting a picture on instagram of what looked like crosshairs above the head of the federal judge overseeing his case.
          TRANSITIONS         
 Josh Hsu, who formerly served as general counsel for Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), has been named deputy chief of staff.

Lauren Linsmayer has started as a professional staffer on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee's environment subcommittee under the majority. She was previously a NOAA Knauss Fellow for Senate Commerce Committee Democrats.

Catherine Frazier has joined Clout Public Affairs, a division of Axiom Strategies, as SVP of communications. She most recently served as senior communications adviser to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on his re-elect and also previously managed the press shop of his Senate office.
          TODAY IN CONGRESS         
The House and Senate are OUT until next week.
          AROUND THE HILL         
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) will hold a press call on a resolution to terminate Trump's national emergency declaration at 10 a.m.
          TRIVIA         
THURSDAY'S WINNER -- Patrick Boland was the first to correctly guess that Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao never missed a State of the Union address during the Trump and Bush presidencies. The reason: she wasn't born in the U.S., and therefore can never be the designated survivor since she can't be president.

TODAY'S QUESTION -- From Patrick: Only one former Speaker had a cameo on Cheers. Who was the Speaker and what character were they trying to avoid? First person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess my way: [email-masked].

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