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WILL MASSIE GET SASSY? -- House lawmakers scrambled to get back to Washington for today’s vote on the $2 trillion economic rescue passage, even though leadership was hoping to pass it by a simple voice vote and was desperate to protect members from being potentially exposed to coronavirus. But there are concerns that a single member — namely, liberterian Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) — may force a roll call vote or request a quorum. And if that happens, Speaker Nancy Pelosi is insisting that an in-person vote will happen Friday instead of over the weekend — a directive that was delivered during a 6 p.m. conference call last night.
Leaders in both parties encouraged members to return to D.C. for the vote if they are willing and able, while the majority whip asked offices to let them know ASAP if their bosses were planning on making the trip. But many lawmakers are furious: they don’t want to be recorded as absent on what is likely to be the biggest and most historic piece of legislation that they will ever vote on. Yet the short notice, canceled or limited flights and states with different safety guidelines have created a whole lot of headaches — and anger — among members.
Take this tweet from freshman Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.): “Dear @RepThomasMassie: If you intend to delay passage of the #coronavirus relief bill tomorrow morning, please advise your 428 colleagues RIGHT NOW so we can book flights and expend ~$200,000 in taxpayer money to counter your principled but terribly misguided stunt. #thankyou.” Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), meanwhile, called it "disgraceful" and "irresponsible" of Massie to force members to come back. And one senior GOP aide put it this way to your Huddle host: “This is the single biggest shit show I have seen here. Pure fucking chaos.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) had been making the pitch to his members — in pressers, conference calls and individual conversations — to not object to the voice vote. But Massie remains a wild card: he thinks holding a vote without a quorum is unconstitutional and is wary of big government spending. Remember, this is the lawmaker who once forced his colleagues to take 35 roll call votes on non-controversial bills, leading to a marathon, late-night voting session just as the government was on the brink of a partial shutdown.
GOP leadership has been in contact with Massie about his concerns, according to a Republican leadership aide. Yet no one is quite sure where he will land and Massie hasn’t ruled out forcing a recorded vote. “They’re trying to convince us it should be a voice vote, it shouldn’t be recorded. And I’m struggling with this,” he told a radio station Thursday. Trump, meanwhile, had this to say: “Let’s see whether or not we have a grandstander.” All the latest on the last-minute drama, from Heather, Sarah and yours truly: https://politi.co/2JjA4fP.
Related reads: “As Coronavirus Spread, Largest Stimulus in History United a Polarized Senate,” by NYT’s Carl Hulse and Emily Cochrane: https://nyti.ms/3alVa9e; and “Who got special deals in the stimulus and why they got them,” from Caitlin Emma, Jennifer Scholtes and Theodoric Meyer: https://politi.co/2UFhKmH.
COVID CONTINGENCY PLANS -- When lawmakers do arrive on the House floor today, it’s going to “look different,” McCarthy told reporters during his press conference yesterday. Why? The Capitol physician and House sergeant-at-arms have implemented a slew of new restrictions in an effort to limit the spread of coronavirus and keep members safe when they vote.
Among the strict new protocols: Lawmakers will vote in pre-assigned groups of 30 to limit contact on the floor … They will be required to use hand sanitizer before and after leaving the chamber … Ahead of the vote, the chamber will be limited only to members who are scheduled to speak. … On their way to votes, lawmakers are asked to ride with no more than one other person in an elevator … the Speaker's lobby will be closed … and most staff will be barred from the Capitol building itself.
The notice to members: “In order to accommodate the session of the House of Representatives on Friday, March 27, 2020, the following guidelines have been developed in consultation with the Office of the Attending Physician (OAP) and House Leadership. Members should use extreme care and deliberation when making the determination to travel to Washington, D.C. The OAP continues to recommend teleworking for all Congressional offices. In all cases, Members and staff must maintain 6-foot social distance spacing as much as practicable when in the offices or the Capitol.” The full list: https://bit.ly/2UHax5o.
Related: “Why Isn’t Congress Already Virtual?” by Nancy Scola for POLITICO Magazine: https://politi.co/33QYerB.
T.G.I.F.! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Friday, March 27. Your host will be celebrating her birthday in quarantine this weekend — and all she wants are some Dr. Anthony Fauci cupcakes.
THURSDAY’S MOST CLICKED: CNN’s report on AOC’s concerns with the economic rescue package was the big winner.
ON TO THE NEXT ONE -- Congress hasn’t even cleared the third coronavirus bill, and Speaker Pelosi is already talking about their next relief package — a way to assure Democrats that they’ll have another chance to address some of their other priorities. What could be in it, per Heather and your Huddle host: “Some of the things Democrats are pushing for include additional funding for state and local governments to address the rapidly spreading virus; expanding the pool of people who qualify for family and medical leave; more federal dollars for food aid; stronger worker protections for first responders; funding to offset coronavirus treatment costs; and stabilizing pensions.”
But Republicans are downplaying the need for more relief legislation right now, and are instead focusing on getting phase three over the finish line. “We have now just passed what would be the third bill. ... Let's let this work inside America,” said McCarthy. “We don't need to be crafting another bill right now. Let's let these $2 trillion go to work for us, plus the $8 billion ahead of time and the billions of dollars we just passed on the second bill." The Senate is out until April 20, but leaders noted they can always come back if they need to. The story: https://politi.co/2UCRbOY.
Related: “Lawmakers brace for more coronavirus legislation after $2 trillion bill,” via The Hill’s Jordain Carney: https://bit.ly/2vPjQb8.
ANOTHER ONE -- Freshman Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas) became the latest member of Congress to self-quarantine after experiencing flu-like symptoms and taking a test for coronavirus. “Representing #TX07 and making sure our community has the resources it needs to combat coronavirus together is my highest priority. Out of an abundance of caution, I am self-quarantining and will continue to work from home,” she tweeted.
But, some good news from Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.): “Thanks to all who sent kind words&prayers for my husband John. He has coronavirus & has been in the hospital for pneumonia & low oxygen. He took a good turn, was just released & is now recovering at home!” she tweeted. “Thanks to those who cared for him &for all front line health care workers.”
TOP-ED -- From the Charlotte Observer Editorial Board: “Seven days have passed since news reports revealed how U.S. Sen Richard Burr profited off the coronavirus while failing to warn his constituents at the early, critical stages of the crisis. It has not been a good week. Burr has been abandoned by fellow Republicans, some of whom have called for his resignation. He’s been sued by a shareholder of Wyndham Hotels & Suites for selling off $150,000 of that company’s stock.
“The Securities and Exchange Commission has issued a statement that, while not using Burr’s name, warned members of Congress about doing what the senator is accused of doing — trading off privileged information and briefings. He is toxic to his party. He is embarrassing to North Carolina. Clearly, his problems are not going to go away. So why isn’t he?” The op-ed: https://bit.ly/2xs23aE.
WORK FROM HOME WOES -- Lawmakers, they’re just like us! “My sincere thanks to my cat, Leo, for dropping by our Facebook Town Hall with @louisvillemayor this morning,” tweeted Rep. John Yarmuth. “Be sure to watch our full conversation and Q&A (including Leo’s surprise appearance) here: https://bit.ly/2JfDY9w.”
WEEKLY WINNERS AND LOSERS -- Despite days of tense talks and partisan sniping — and questions about whether an increasingly polarized and gridlocked Congress can still function — lawmakers came together in a time of crisis to pass the biggest economic rescue package in history. So, who are the victors and failures this week? Here are our picks:
W: C-SPAN, which has long been a national treasure, but has been particularly clutch during the coronavirus. Not only has C-SPAN streamed key stakeouts for reporters working from home, but the network has even agreed to carry self-shot videos of lawmakers who can’t make it to D.C. to give floor statements on the rescue package.
L: D.C., which was designated as a “territory” instead of a state in the coronavirus relief bill and will therefore get less money than other cities and states battling the virus — though Pelosi has vowed to address the issue in the next package.
TRANSITIONS
Ben Williamson, a longtime aide to Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), will start at the White House Monday as senior adviser to Meadows and deputy assistant to the president.
Jimmy Walsh is now deputy government relations director at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. He most recently was a professional staff member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and adviser to ranking member Michael McCaul (R-Texas).
Will Reinhart is leaving Rep. Tom Reed’s (R-N.Y.) office to join the Congressional Leadership Fund and American Action Network as press secretary.
TODAY IN CONGRESS
The House gavels in at 9 a.m., with votes possible at some point.
The Senate is out.
AROUND THE HILL
Social distancing continues.
TRIVIA
THURSDAY’S WINNER: Peter Hyun correctly guessed that Jonathan Elmer was the first doctor to serve in the Senate.
TODAY’S QUESTION: From Peter: After President Barack Obama was sworn-in for his second term, what was the first food recipe that FLOTUS Michelle Obama tweeted out from her official twitter account? (Hint: it was a recipe using a key ingredient from the WH Garden). The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess to [email protected].
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