With an assist from Anthony Adragna and Jordain Carney

BORDER BATTLE — Rep. Tony Gonzales is standing his ground on efforts to change a border security bill that he says doesn’t take the right approach – and he’s willing to jeopardize other key pieces of legislation, including the debt limit, to do it.

“I’m so dug in against any bill that comes to the floor that’s a bad vote for our members that won us the majority that I’m willing to use everything I have to prevent it,” Gonzales (R-Texas) said in an interview Tuesday afternoon. “Including voting no against a debt ceiling package.”

The House Judiciary Committee will meet Wednesday morning to mark up a border package, but Gonzales, who sits on the House Homeland Security committee, has made clear he won’t support the bill on the floor as-is. The legislation being taken up in the Judiciary Committee pieces together proposals from several Republicans, but it’s also getting pushback from moderate GOP lawmakers (and Democrats).

At issue is a section of the bill that some see as too similar to a proposal from Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) that would, among other provisions, authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to prohibit migrants from entering the country if they think it “is necessary in order to achieve operational control over such border.” Moderates are further concerned that the asylum policies are too narrow – making the path to legal immigration more difficult.

“I think it is a terrible idea to give Secretary Mayorkas more power when he has proven that he has failed at the border. We should be doing the exact opposite,” Gonzales said. “I think it’s a terrible idea to think that Mayorkas is going to be the one that solves this problem.”

Though Gonzales said he would be willing to vote against Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) proposal to raise the debt ceiling (remember, McCarthy only has a four vote margin), the timing may not work in the Texas Republican’s favor. McCarthy’s debt ceiling bill could come up for a vote as soon as next week, while a border security package isn’t expected to reach the floor until mid-May at the earliest.

Gonzales’ position signals the divide between the staunch conservatives in the conference, many of whom who sit on the Judiciary committee, and the more moderate members of his conference (including Gonzales), who argue they’re the reason Republicans won the majority in the first place.

Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said in an interview that he’s worked to ease concerns with moderate members of his conference but the committee markup is moving forward Wednesday.

“Our members have worked really hard in putting this together in a way that is good policy, good immigration enforcement policy that would truly secure the border and doing it in a way that also will get 218 votes,” Jordan said. “So I think we’re close.”

And House Homeland Security Chair Mark Green (R-Tenn.) teased on Tuesday evening that he thought the Judiciary proposal was in good shape, even despite Gonzales’s concerns. But Green declined to share specifics, predicting negotiations over the legislation would play out “in due time.”

Roy’s bill was part of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s (R-La.) original list of legislation that Republicans wanted to pass the first two weeks of their majority.

The Judiciary Committee won’t have the final say on what the House GOP’s final border bill will look like. Green’s committee is expected to hold a vote on its piece of the legislation next week, after which the two bills will be forged together by the Rules Committee.

Also worth noting: Even if the bill passes the House, it will never be taken up by the Democratic-led Senate.

GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Wednesday, April 19, where your Huddle hosts are very excited because it’s hump day.

EXPECTATIONS YET TO COME — Lawmakers come into today’s classified briefings on leaked sensitive Pentagon documents with some specific desires — understanding the full extent of the leak, answering how the 21-year-old accused leaker got access to the records in the first place and what steps are being taken to prevent it from happening again, according to interviews with more than half a dozen senators. They know they won’t get all the answers at once — “I still think they’re learning about it,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), vice chair of the Intelligence Committee, told POLITICO — but expect as much information as possible from administration officials.

“It’s just the first step. There’s a lot we have to work on,” Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), chair of the Intelligence Committee, said.

Remember, these briefings haven’t always gone super smoothly. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) threatened to slow down confirming all of President Joe Biden’s nominees after a particularly unsatisfying one in January over records recovered at presidential residences. “I look to hear about half as much as I can read about in whatever you write,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) quipped. “There’s been a lot of frustration presented at previous hearings on things like the spy balloon. I don’t think any of it compares to what will happen tomorrow if high-ranking officials don’t come with some significant information and some solutions.”

Department of real world consequences: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said the classified document leak came up directly at her recent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “His response was, ‘you know, I had a plan. And now people know what the plan is. So I gotta do what I gotta do,’” she said in an interview.

JUDICIARY STALEMATE — As promised, Senate Republicans nixed a speedy roster swap for Democrats to temporarily replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) blocked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) Tuesday afternoon request for unanimous consent to add Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) temporarily to the Judiciary Committee.

In theory, that could tee up a floor vote on the matter, but Democrats don’t have the 10 GOP votes they’d need to move forward. More from Burgess, Jennifer Haberkorn and KTM.

NOT SOLD ON SU — Julie Su, President Joe Biden’s choice for Secretary of Labor and current Acting Labor Secretary, faces the Senate HELP Committee Thursday for a hearing on her nomination.

Su was making the rounds on the Hill Tuesday, even stopping in the Senate basement to chat with Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii). Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) plans to meet with Su on Thursday following the HELP Committee hearing and said he’d be tuned in to see what questions her testimony raises.

“I’m very ambivalent. I voted for her before. I don’t have a problem with her right now,” but he suggested the hearing could bring up concerns. Tester, Sinema and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) all voted in favor of Su’s confirmation to be deputy labor secretary in 2021.

FIRST IN HUDDLE — Ian Sams, a spokesperson for the White House Counsel’s office, released a memo Wednesday ahead of the House Oversight hearing on the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, slamming Republicans ahead of what is expected to be a contentious debate on the withdrawal.

“These MAGA House Republicans are hoping to distract from their own failure to even agree upon, much less act on, solutions that are desperately needed today to protect the progress the Biden Administration has made to safely evacuate tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan at the end of the war,” the memo states. You can read the full memo here.

DOUBLE, TRIPLE BOOKED — Is there a way to keep House members from being double, triple, quadruple booked with different committee commitments in the same time slot? The House Modernization Committee, sure thought so and now the House Digital Service is making it happen. The new tool is called “Deconflict” and it’s all in the name. The initial version is only available to House GOP committee staff, for now. But there is a plan to expand usage.

WORTH A WATCH — If you’re one of the 17 House members, more than 500 members of Hill staff (along with hundreds more dependents) whose personal data was compromised in the breach of DC Health Link, here’s a hearing for you. Mila Kofman, Executive Director of the District of Columbia Health Benefit Exchange Authority will testify, as will House Chief Administrative Officer Catherine L. Szpindor. Their written testimony is already out, read Kofman’s and Szpindor’s.

DURBIN UPDATE ― Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) signaled on Tuesday that he’s “trying to honor” the blue slip courtesy for Scott Colom ― President Joe Biden’s judicial nominee for the Northern District of Mississippi ― whose nomination came under turmoil after Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) indicated she would formally block it. “We’re still talking,” he told Nancy when pressed for further clarification. The nomination was effectively halted after the Mississippi Republican said she would not return a blue slip for Colom ― a legislative maneuver that gives senators a de facto veto over appointments to district court seats within their home states.

CAUGHT IN THE HATCH — The Office of Special Counsel found that Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra violated the Hatch Act when he expressed support for Sen. Alex Padilla’s (D-Calif.) election at a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute event in the fall.

ANOTHAH ONE, THANK YOU — A former White House official has launched his bid for the congressional seat being vacated by Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.). That makes 14 (!) candidates for the Ocean State seat, so far.

BOARDING UP — Donna Shalala, the former Health and Human Services Secretary and Florida House Democrat, is joining the Board of Directors for a growing Medicare navigation platform: Chapter. Shalala touted Chapter as the “only Medicare advisor to put the interests of beneficiaries above all else,” adding in her statement that she is “delighted to support Chapter and help them expand their services to more organizations and consumers.”

SANTOS SPEAKS — Embattled Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) has a very *ahem* honest conversation about how he sees Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) after that infamous moment during the State of the Union.

TWIN TUESDAY: Playbook’s Rachael Bade accidentally matched with Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.).

The subway train stopped on its tracks during votes Tuesday and Sen. Mitt Romney ribbed some senators stuck inside.

How sweet it is to be the new steward of the Senate Candy Desk tradition.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver managed to compare the debt ceiling standoff to Blazing Saddles.

QUICK LINKS

GOP drops $1M on Manchin as Justice preps run, from Burgess Everett and Holly Otterbein

DeSantis gets warm words at GOP Hill event, but few endorsements, from Sarah Ferris, Ally Mutnick and Burgess Everett

Key Republican Tells Donors He Will Pursue Impeachment of Mayorkas, from Karoun Demirjian at the New York Times

‘Anti-corruption’ Rep. Dan Goldman made hundreds of stock trades after saying he’d create a ‘blind trust’, from Dave Levinathl at Raw Story

George Santos left out of McCarthy fundraising group to help NY GOP candidates, from Caitlin Oprysko

TRANSITIONS

Catalina Tam is now the nominations director for Schumer. She previously was a legislative aide for Schumer.

Samuel Wojcicki is now senior director of climate policy at the National Audubon Society. He most recently was legislative director for Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.).

Will Bowen is now press secretary for Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.). He most recently was McHenry’s regional director.

TODAY IN CONGRESS

The House convenes at 10 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business. First and last votes are expected at 4:30 p.m.

The Senate convenes at 10 a.m. with two amendment votes at 11:30 a.m.

AROUND THE HILL

9:30 a.m. House Appropriations CJS Subcommittee hearing on the fiscal 2024 budget request for the National Science Foundation. Director Sethuraman Panchanathan testifies. (H-309 Capitol)

10 a.m. Democratic Whip Clark, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), the Pro-Choice Caucus and Democratic Women’s Caucus lead a presser on Democrats’ fight to protect access to abortion medication. (House Triangle)

10 a.m. House Appropriations Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee hearing on the fiscal 2024 budget request for the CDC, NIH and Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky testifies. (2358C Rayburn)

10 a.m. House Armed Services Committee hearing on the fiscal 2024 budget request for the Army. Secretary of the Army Christine E. Wormuth testifies. (2118 Rayburn)

10 a.m. House Homeland Security Committee hearing on the fiscal 2024 budget request for DHS. Mayorkas testifies. (310 Cannon)

10 a.m. House Natural Resources Committee hearing on the fiscal 2024 budget request for the Interior Department. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland testifies. (1324 Longworth)

10 a.m. Senate Appropriations State-Foreign Operations Subcommittee hearing on the fiscal 2024 budget request for USAID. USAID Administrator Samantha Power testifies. (138 Dirksen)

10 a.m. Senate Finance Committee hearing on the fiscal 2024 budget request for the IRS and the 2023 filing season. IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel testifies. (215 Dirksen)

10 a.m. Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief “(PEPFAR) at 20: Achieving and Sustaining Epidemic Control.” Sir Elton John testifies. (419 Dirksen)

11 a.m. Reps. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), Gerry Connelly (D-Va.) urge Congress to strengthen pay for federal wildland firefighters. (House Triangle)

1:30 p.m. House Appropriations CJS Subcommittee hearing on the fiscal 2024 budget request for NASA. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson testifies. (2359 Rayburn)

12 p.m. Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), et al to unveil legislation to end qualified immunity. (House Triangle)

2 p.m. House Administration Oversight and House Oversight Cybersecurity, Information Technology and Government Innovation subcommittee joint hearing on the D.C. Health Exchange data breach. (2154 Rayburn)

2 p.m. House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing on the fiscal 2024 budget request for Customs and Border Protection. Acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller testifies. (2008 Rayburn)

2:15 p.m. Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) will hold a press conference on a Resolution Condemning the Russian Kidnapping of Ukrainian Children. (House Triangle)

TUESDAY’S WINNER: Ben Wainer correctly answered that then Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kennedy was the third Democrat who did not vote to censure Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-Wis.) in 1954. Kennedy was in the hospital for back surgery.

TODAY’S QUESTION from Ben: Which former senator became the first cabinet nominee of a newly elected president to be rejected from serving?

The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answers to [email protected]

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