L.A., S.F. MAYORS: WE HAVE CONCERNS WITH ‘GANG OF EIGHT’ PLAN BUT WE COULD SUPPORT IT – Your Huddle host sat down for lunch Thursday with outgoing Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, who were in town for meetings on immigration and transportation. We were also joined by the L.A. Times’ Richard Simon. The California Democrats listed numerous concerns they had with the immigration reform bill brokered by the bipartisan Gang of Eight senators, but they said they recognize now there’s political momentum to get something done.
Villaraigosa, who faces term limits at the end of June, met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Thursday. The chairman of the 2012 Democratic National Convention plans to sit down with President Obama later today. The mayor will meet with Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), who like McCain is a member of the Gang, in Los Angeles on Monday.
“I can’t tell you I like everything in it,” Villaraigosa said at the lunch at Bistro Bis, just off Capitol Hill. “Thirteen years is way too long [for a path to citizenship]. Eliminating the right of siblings to come doesn’t meet my definition of family reunification. The amount of money they’re charging immigrants after 13 years I think it way too high.
“But in the end, with the chasm between the parties on this issue,” he said, “it’s a compromise that I could support if it doesn’t get watered down even further.”
Lee, the first Asian American mayor of San Francisco, added: “For us, it’s why no attention for same sex marriage partners in immigration, so those are the issues that I want to work out. Overall, we’re trying to bring these issues up in a venue of appreciation that for the first time in a long time, we’ve seeing comprehensive immigration reform come out in front of us so we want to see how far we can get with it.”
VILLARAIGOSA, sometimes mentioned as a possible successor to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, said he’d like to be governor in the future but is confident that incumbent Gov. Jerry Brown will run for a second term.
“I made it pretty clear I’m taking a time for reflection. I’m not running for governor right now. Period,” Villaraigosa said.
“I’ve always said I believe in public service. I couldn’t be more grateful to the people of L.A. to be mayor for 8 years. I loved the opportunity to serve in the Assembly as majority whip, as majority leader, and I would like one day to be governor,” he continued. “But the last time I looked there’s somebody in the job. So we’ll see.”
Villaraigosa will attend his fifth White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday as the guest of Tina Brown and The Daily Beast. In the past, he’s accompanied CNN, The Tribune Co. and The Economist, but he noted that one publication has never reached out.
“Politico never invited me,” he joked.
OUT TODAY: POLITICO’s much-anticipated annual guide to the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was released today. Distributed around the Washington area, this year’s guide focuses on celebrity politics, featuring an exclusive interview with dinner headliner, Conan O’Brien, columns written by actors Robin Wright and Jeff Bridges and party previews. Also inside: Tom Brokaw says ‘no thanks’ to the WHCD, POLITICO profiles the WHCA board and award and scholarship winners, and more!
Not in D.C. to get the magazine? Click here for the stories and complete dinner coverage all weekend: http://politi.co/YYFHAo
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DEMS BLINK FIRST IN FAA STANDOFF; SENATE PASSES FIX TO FURLOUGHS, FLIGHT DELAYS – Kathryn A. Wolfe and Burgess Everett write for the hometown paper: “The White House and Democrats in Congress argued for months against a piecemeal fix to the budget problems caused by the sequester. But on Thursday, Democrats caved in and agreed to allow the Federal Aviation Administration to keep air traffic control towers running at close to full capacity. All it took was a few thousand people standing in line at the airport. The Senate approved a deal late Thursday to ease the FAA’s burden following negotiations among both parties and the White House. The House is expected to take up the bill Friday, just before the congressional weeklong recess, so President Barack Obama can sign it.
– “While travelers may be relieved, some Democrats worry about saving the FAA while letting other domestic programs across the government suffer under the automatic budget cuts. ‘I doubt the most disadvantaged citizens are flying on commercial aircraft,’ said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who called piecemeal solutions ‘sequester budget Whac-A-Mole.’ Sounding a similar theme, top House aviation Democrat Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) lamented on C-SPAN that ‘no 3- or 4-year-old is going to call my office and say, ‘I’ve been kicked out of Head Start, replace that money.’’ Democrats admit that it’s not the approach they wanted — but it’s one they may have to live with before there’s a revolt from the flying public.” http://politi.co/YWgh6q
WSJ, A4, “Besides the FAA, Furlough Impacts are Mostly Muted,” By Elizabeth Williamson: http://on.wsj.com/12sAvrB
W.H. TO CONGRESS: WE BELIEVE SYRIA USED CHEMICAL WEAPONS – Mark Landler and Eric Schmitt write on A1 of the New York Times: “The White House said Thursday that it believes the Syrian government has used chemical weapons in its civil war, an assessment that could test President Obama’s repeated warnings that such an attack could precipitate American intervention in Syria. The White House, in a letter to Congressional leaders, said the nation’s intelligence agencies assessed ‘with varying degrees of confidence’ that the government of President Bashar al-Assad had used the chemical agent sarin on a small scale. But it said more conclusive evidence was needed before Mr. Obama would take action, referring obliquely to both the Bush administration’s use of faulty intelligence in the march to war in Iraq and the ramifications of any decision to enter another conflict in the Middle East.
– “Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, who is chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the agencies actually expressed more certainty about the use of these weapons than the White House indicated in its letter. She said Thursday that they voiced medium to high confidence in their assessment, which officials said was based on the testing of soil samples and blood drawn from people who had been wounded. …
– “While lawmakers from both parties swiftly declared that the president’s red line had been breached, they differed on what he should do about it. ‘The political reality is that he put himself in that position that if the ‘red line’ is crossed — he made it very clear — it would change his behavior,’ Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, said. The intelligence ‘is a compelling argument for the president to take the measures that a lot of us have been arguing for all along,’ he said.” http://nyti.ms/Y8PecX
OTHER HEADLINES – Wall Street Journal, A1 lead, “U.S. Believes Syria Used Gas: White House Shifts Assessment on Chemical Weapons; New Pressure to Respond.” Washington Post, A1, “Sarin use in Syria feared: U.S.: EFFORT WAS ON ‘SMALL SCALE’: After disclosure, Obama under pressure to act.” L.A. Times: “WHITE HOUSE WANTS SYRIA PROOF: U.S. officials as U.N. to confirm their belief that Damascus crossed the ‘red line’ and used sarin gas on rebels.” AP: “Crossing a ‘red line’? US says Syria used poison.”
– Lawmakers on the Senate and House Intelligence committees were briefed as recently as last week on Syria and that three people had died from sarin poisoning, POLITICO’s Ginger Gibson and Jake Sherman report. http://politi.co/10fy5bC
HIRONO STAYING OUT OF SENATE PRIMARY – For now at least, Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) isn’t getting involved in her state’s Democratic primary between appointed Sen. Brian Schatz and Rep. Colleen Hanabusa. Asked Thursday whether she’ll endorse in the 2014 Senate race for the late Sen. Daniel Inouye’s former seat, Hirono wouldn’t answer. Pressed again by Huddle, she finally said: “They’re both my friends; I wish them well.” Schatz, the former lieutenant governor who was appointed by Gov. Neil Abercrombie to fill Inouye’s seat after he died in December, said he won’t comment on Hanabusa or any other candidate until the race shapes up. Hanabusa, who was Inouye’s preferred successor, is expected to announce next week that she’ll challenge Schatz for the Democratic nomination.
TODD AKIN EYES COMEBACK? MAYBE – KSDK-TV’s Leisa Zigman has an exclusive interview with former Rep. Todd Akin: “ Could Todd Akin be the new comeback kid? The 65-year-old former congressman says don’t rule him out. Nearly six months after losing the Senate race he continues to be attacked from all sides of the political spectrum. But the greatest barbs are thrown by fellow Republicans. … After 12 years representing Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District, this infamous quote, ‘If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down,’ derailed his campaign and his reputation. Would he take those six seconds back? Akin said, ‘Oh, of course I would! I’ve relived them too many times. But that is not reality.’ In the past, Akin said he regrets those remarks but does he believe they are true? Does he believe in his heart that the female body can stop a pregnancy in the case of a rape? Akin said, ‘No, no and I apologized for that. All of us are fallible, we make mistakes, and we say things the wrong way. I really lived that moment many, many times.’ …
– “Republican strategist Karl Rove recently started a new Pac aimed at opposing candidates like Akin. … And Akin reacted by saying to KSDK, ‘Karl Rove has made himself and expert. I think I lost one race. He managed to lose about 12 of them in one night.’ And Akin points out; Rove spent an estimated $ 175 million with nothing to show for it. ‘Maybe people who gave him money will kind of wonder about that number won’t they?’ said Akin. …
– “As for the next chapter, Akin says he’s ready for a comeback, but isn’t sure what form that comeback will take. He’s considering academia, public speaking, and even politics. We asked, ‘Would you ever consider putting your hat back in the political ring again?’ ‘It’s one of those things that depends on the circumstances really. I don’t rule anything out,’ he said. ‘I consider it a bright new future and I’m interested to see what the possibilities are.’” http://on.ksdk.com/10Fhi9i
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GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, APRIL 26, 2013, and welcome to The Huddle, your play-by-play preview of the day’s congressional news. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to swong@politico.com. If you don’t already, please follow me on Twitter @scottwongDC.
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TODAY IN CONGRESS – The Senate has left for its weeklong recess. The House meets at 10 a.m. with first and last votes expected between 10:45 and 11:45 a.m. on the Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act.
AROUND THE HILL – A classified all-member House briefing on Syria and North Korea will be held at 9:30 a.m. in CVC 217.
OBAMACARE EXEMPTION TALK LIGHTS UP CAPITOL HILL – Jake Sherman reports for POLITICO: “The Obamacare war is on in Congress. A top aide to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi sent an email to Democratic offices Thursday afternoon, warning that ‘Republican trackers’ are on Independence Avenue asking lawmakers about the effort to rework which health care insurance members of Congress must use. One Democratic leadership aide said trackers were asking lawmakers if they thought ‘it’s OK for members of Congress to be exempt from Obamacare?’ POLITICO reported Wednesday that top congressional leaders were discussing revisions to the law, to clarify how lawmakers and staff enter exchanges and how much they would have to pay. …
– “Adam Jentleson, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), issued a statement Thursday that said his party wasn’t seeking a special legislative carve out. ‘Sen. Reid is committed to ensuring that all members of Congress and congressional staff experience the benefits of the Affordable Care Act in exactly the same way as every other American,’ Jentleson said. ‘He believes that this is the effect of the legislation as written, and that therefore no legislative fix is necessary. There are not now, have never been, nor will there ever be any discussions about exempting members of Congress or congressional staff from Affordable Care Act provisions that apply to any employees of any other public or private employer offering health care,’ he added. Reid thinks the change would level the playing field not enact special carve outs.” http://politi.co/YWpQlN
– Jentleson was on Twitter all day pushing back against the POLITICO exemption story:
@Ajentleson: @politico hype machine in full effect today. #yeahboyee pic.twitter.com/qgn2392QIj
TOOMEY’S NUMBERS RISE AFTER BACKGROUND CHECK PUSH – Steven Shepard writes for National Journal: “Though the background-check amendment co-sponsored by Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., failed last week to earn enough votes to be adopted, Toomey’s standing among Pennsylvania voters is now at the highest point of his three-plus-year term, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released on Friday. Toomey’s approval rating now stands at 48 percent, the poll shows, higher than the 43 percent he notched in the previous poll, conducted last month. Three-in-ten voters disapprove, down a tick from 32 percent in March.” http://bit.ly/Y1zlTo
YESTERDAY’S HEADLINE: “Poll: Kelly Ayotte approval drops after gun vote” http://politi.co/11GhNvt
WaPo, A1, below the fold, “House conservatives’ immigration efforts could upend Senate deal,” By David Nakamura and Ed O’Keefe: “Influential House conservatives signaled Thursday that they will pursue their own course on revising the nation’s immigration laws, a move that some lawmakers warned could derail a comprehensive overhaul that President Obama has made a top priority for his second term. A week after a bipartisan Senate group introduced an 844-page immigration proposal backed by the White House, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) said he would chart a narrower path by introducing several small-scale immigration proposals this week that will begin months of negotiations over proposals from House members and groups.
– “The announcement was the latest indication of the widening battle among Republicans over what to do about the country’s immigration system and marks perhaps the most serious political challenge to emerge. Leading conservatives have begun to seek ways to delay and, potentially, defeat the push for the legislation, which includes a path to citizenship for up to 11 million illegal immigrants. Goodlatte’s measures are expected to be more conservative than those included in the bipartisan Senate deal.” http://wapo.st/ZRtk9d
SENATE ADVANCES ONLINE SALES TAX BILL – Ramsay Cox reports for The Hill: “After the threat of a midnight vote and weekend work, the Senate agreed Thursday to advance a bill that would allow states to collect online sales tax. In a 63-30 vote, the Senate ended debate on The Marketplace Fairness Act, S. 743, which would empower states to collect taxes on purchases made online by consumers in their states. The Senate will vote on final passage of the bill when senators return May 6 from a weeklong recess.” http://bit.ly/Zp5vt5
CONGRESS’ YOUNG MEMBERS BLAZE NEW TECH TRAILS – Carla Marinucci writes for the San Francisco Chronicle: “Freshman East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell said he wanted to “get outside the comfort zone” of traditional political discourse when he showed up at a meeting of the Fremont City Council to talk to constituents – via Skype. Swalwell, a Democrat, said he made the Internet video call from his Washington, D.C., office because voters in his district ‘are very, very busy people who are relying on new ways of communicating … and Congress hasn’t always done a good job at it.’ The move makes the former Dublin city councilman, who at 32 is the youngest member of the California delegation, the only member of Congress known to use Skype to link with public meetings back home.
– “Compared with older colleagues in Congress, many of whom are twice his age, Swalwell is ‘ahead of the curve’ in new ways of reaching constituents, says San Jose State University political science Professor Larry Gerston. ‘It’s the different set of tools … that come part-and-parcel with a new generation.’ Swalwell’s efforts underscore some evident generational differences in members of Capitol Hill’s freshman class, who appear eager to supplement traditional town hall meetings with social media and new approaches to voter outreach.” http://bit.ly/14Vnewu
RETURN OF THE TEA PARTY CAUCUS – Tarini Parti writes for POLITICO: “The Tea Party Caucus is back in action with a new strategy and a growing membership. Roughly 20 House Republicans attended a closed-door meeting Thursday evening in the Rayburn House Office Building, along with staffers from nearly 40 congressional offices, including those of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and fellow Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul. It comes as conservatives continue to flex their muscle, making life difficult for GOP leaders in the House on issues like Obamacare, and as the debate on immigration legislation heats up. Conservative mainstays such as Reps. Paul Broun (R-Ga.), Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), Tom Price (R-Ga.), Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) and Steve King (R-Iowa) were among those at the meeting. A source said the entire GOP House delegation from South Carolina was there as well.” http://politi.co/15TrP1x
FBI BRIEFLY LOSES TRACK OF MAN PROBED IN RICIN CASE – Kimberly Kindy reports for the Washington Post: “The FBI temporarily lost track Thursday of a former martial arts instructor whose Mississippi home and business were searched this week as part of an investigation of ricin-laced letters sent this month to President Obama and other elected officials. The FBI and local police looked for James Everett Dutschke, 41, for at least five hours, obtaining a search warrant for a former client’s family vacation home in Marietta, Miss., where they thought he was hiding, according to his attorney. … Dutschke’s attorney, Lori Nail Basham, confirmed that FBI agents were looking for her client for much of the day and that they said they were “satisfied” when she told the agency where he was staying Thursday afternoon. She would not disclose his location and said he left his home in Tupelo because of the heavy media presence and because after the FBI search, ‘it was in disarray.’ Dutschke has denied any involvement with the mailing of the ricin letters.” http://wapo.st/ZMiWmj
THURSDAY’S TRIVIA WINNER – Cramer Williams was first to correctly answer that King George VI was the first British monarch to visit the U.S. He was hosted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939.
TODAY’S TRIVIA – Cramer Williams has today’s question: As a student of Economics personally, who was the only U.S. president to study Economics as their major? First to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day’s Huddle. Email me at swong@politico.com.
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POLITICO – Top 10 – The Huddle
Mayors Villaraigosa, Lee list concerns with "Gang of Eight" plan, SENATE PASSES FIX TO FLIGHT DELAYS, Hirono staying out of Hawaii primary, A Todd Akin comeback?, trivia
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