Inside Sinema’s Senate floor diplomacy

Jul 31, 2023

With assists from POLITICO’s Hill team

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema walks down the hall of the U.S. Capitol.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) leaned into her bipartisan tendencies last week to help clear snags on amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act. | Francis Chung/POLITICO

SINEMA OPENS HER PROBLEM-SOLVING PLAYBOOK

When the Senate passed the annual defense policy bill Thursday on an eye-popping 86-11 vote, it stood as a vivid counterpoint to the partisan rancor that surrounded the House's version of the National Defense Authorization Act.

And to Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), it was also further proof of the magic power of cross-party relationships and another example of how they can make Washington work.

Sinema, who is known for her close personal relationships with Republican senators, played an active role in shepherding the bill across the floor. She explained to Huddle in a rare interview how she went to work, offering a primer on her methods for solving problems on major bills.

“The first place I look is: What does someone need and what is the obstacle in the way of them getting what they need?” she said. “And then you get that list and then you just kind of go point by point by point, person by person by person, and figure out: How can you help address that person's need? Can you solve their problem?”

“You’re just kind of taking little bites at the apple over and over and over again.”

One good example: An amendment at issue concerned the reauthorization of a federal program providing affordable housing to Native American communities. The provision had been championed for years by Sens. Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), but any one senator can stop consideration of an amendment. Sinema knew Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) opposed the program.

So Sinema approached Lee on the floor. “I said, ‘I would like to ask you to allow this to be a vote. You can vote no, obviously, because that's your decision,’” Sinema said.

Lee ultimately agreed to a vote on the arrangement. Sinema described following the same road map with “several other” senators and working through some other jurisdictional issues thanks to a “really, really good close personal relationship” with Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.). The end result was a big bipartisan vote that sent senators home for August recess on a positive note.

What her colleagues think: Democrats acknowledge Sinema’s close relationships with Republicans can be helpful on big pieces of legislation, even as they say it’s a broader group of senators that help build consensus to get them done.

“Sinema was great. … But Lisa [Murkowski] was amazing. Thom Tillis was very helpful. Roger Wicker. John Thune. This was an extraordinary bipartisan team effort,” Schatz told Huddle of his and Murkowski’s amendment. “Some of the in-the-moment tactics can help at the margins, but what matters the most is how much work you've done in advance of the floor.”

After the bill’s passage, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell both cheered the vote on the Senate floor — and Sinema celebrated over a glass of wine with a cross-partisan group of five female senators, the “Wonder Women,” who first came together during the 2021 push for infrastructure legislation.

But, but, but: Not everyone has been impressed with Sinema's down-the-middle politics, of course. A Democrat until late last year, she enraged many in her former party with her resistance to filibuster reform and increased tax rates. And she's yet to announce whether she’ll seek reelection next year, with Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) already running to unseat her.

Meanwhile, plenty of partisan land mines remain for the NDAA, with vast differences between the Senate’s bill and a House version peppered with culture war amendments.

Sinema, for one, said she isn't worried and offered support for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, an old workout buddy: “He's doing a great job with a very difficult hand he is facing every day.”

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GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Monday, July 31, where we hope Washingtonians are in one piece after that crazy storm on Saturday that toppled trees everywhere.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR GOP BIDEN PROBES

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) will hold a long-sought transcribed interview with former Hunter Biden associate Devon Archer today as Republicans continue one of their most high-profile investigations during the August recess.

Republicans view Archer as a key witness with first-hand knowledge of Hunter Biden’s business deals, including his work in Ukraine and China. They’re also hoping he will help them find an elusive direct link to President Joe Biden, which hasn’t yet emerged.

Comer said that he’s working to set up additional depositions, including with another Hunter Biden associate, Rob Walker. And he warned that if Archer once again cancels his appearance, he could be held in contempt of Congress.

Side note: There was some weekend drama with legal sparring over when Archer should report to prison on unrelated charges, but his attorneys told Kyle Cheney and Jordain they didn’t think it was related to his scheduled testimony.

Comer is also preparing to release a transcript of an interview the committee conducted last month with a former FBI supervisory special agent as part of the panel’s probe into the years-long federal Hunter Biden investigation. A GOP aide said that the witness is currently reviewing the transcript — a customary step before release — but that Comer intends to make it public once the review is complete.

House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), meanwhile, is also working to schedule closed-door interviews as part of the GOP’s investigation into IRS whistleblower allegations that the Justice Department hampered the Hunter Biden investigation. Attorney General Merrick Garland — who has denied those allegations — is already scheduled to testify before the panel in September.

Jordan has already authorized — but not yet served — subpoenas as part of the probe. Negotiations with the Justice Department are ongoing, but Jordan said he isn’t ruling out ultimately compelling the interviews.

His focus for now is locking in sit-downs for a handful of people who were present for an Oct. 7 meeting that plays a central role in whistleblower Gary Shapley’s interference allegations. Jordan wants to talk to the individuals before Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who oversees the Hunter Biden probe, speaks to the Judiciary Committee. The DOJ has offered to make Weiss available to testify publicly after the August recess.

— Jordain Carney

McCAUL’S NEXT SUBPOENA MOVES

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul told Huddle he’s still mulling — but hasn’t decided — whether to pursue contempt of Congress allegations against Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

McCaul (R-Texas) is demanding documents from the State Department related to the creation of an after-action review of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. If he doesn’t get them by the second anniversary of that withdrawal, McCaul said he could try to hold Blinken in contempt of Congress.

“I wish they would comply with this, and we're trying to get them to cooperate, and it's very specifically targeted,” McCaul said in a brief interview. The subpoena, issued July 18, set an initial deadline of July 25 for compliance. The two-year anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal is Aug. 30.

The view from Foggy Bottom: State Department spokesperson Matt Miller called it “disappointing that just days after receiving yet another production of documents that address the subpoena, Chairman McCaul is once again circumventing our continued negotiations to threaten a contempt vote.” The department would “work in good faith” to comply, Miller added in a statement: “This isn’t a process that should play out via threats through the press.”

Not the first time: This playbook has worked for McCaul before. The lawmaker issued a similar contempt threat back in May over the State Department’s refusal to allow Foreign Affairs Committee members to view a four-page dissent cable about the Taliban’s 2021 advance in Afghanistan. The Texas Republican ultimately won that fight, withdrawing his contempt threat after Blinken allowed committee members to view the full cable.

VANCE’S DOJ HOLDS REMAIN

When it comes to Senate holds, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) has dominated the conversation with his blockade of military promotions. But Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) has a similar blanket hold on Justice Department nominees, and Vance tells Huddle it's nowhere near a resolution.

“If Merrick Garland takes some affirmative steps to depoliticize this agency, I’d release the holds. But until he does, we're not going to do it,” Vance said last week. “We haven’t heard from the Department of Justice at all.”

Vance first pledged in mid-June to “grind [Garland’s] department to a halt” in the aftermath of former President Donald Trump’s second indictment, objecting to quick consideration of DOJ nominees (with an exception for the Marshals Service). DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the blockade.

Sore feelings: Democrats left Washington fuming over the lingering holds, with Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) calling it “beyond disappointing and beyond frustrating” that Vance’s hold was blocking a U.S. attorney nomination in California and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) venting about military and diplomatic holds.

“For those people who say they're concerned about our ability to compete with the Peoples' Republic of China and Russians, they're doing the work of the PRC and the Russians,” Shaheen told Huddle.

Related read: GOP splits further over Tuberville’s military blockade as it stretches through summer, by Burgess and Olivia

EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP BUDGET ALUM LAUNCHES THINK TANK

Former Trump budget aide Paul Winfree is launching his own economic think tank — just as Republicans gear up for a government funding fight.

The Economic Policy Innovation Center, or EPIC, will focus on the country’s long-term fiscal picture, advising GOP presidential candidates and educating members of Congress about basic fiscal issues and Republican priorities, with an emphasis on the federal budget and annual spending bills.

Winfree, who has overseen economic policy at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said GOP presidential campaigns and newish Republican members have so far been eager to learn about curbing federal spending and upcoming fiscal fights, which include the expiration of Trump tax cuts and another debt ceiling deadline in 2025.

— Caitlin Emma

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HUDDLE HOTDISH

A number of House conservatives are calling for lawmakers to come back to Washington for immediate hearings on the Justice Department.

It continues to be a disappointing year on #soybeanwatch for Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).

Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) batted back a report he was strongly considering retiring.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) showed some solidarity with Senate pages.

TRANSITIONS

Sean Farrell, the current chief of staff of Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), is departing the office to start his own firm, East Capitol Advisors.

QUICK LINKS

After ‘terrorizing’ Congress, interns get selfies with all 100 senators, by Daniel Wu in The Washington Post

Chris Murphy: Alito ‘stunningly wrong’ in saying Congress can’t regulate SCOTUS, by Kelly Garrity

Nikki Haley suggests Mitch McConnell should step aside amid health concerns, by Sam Levine in The Guardian

Senate rebukes Wisconsin congressman who yelled vulgarities at high school-age pages, by Mary Clare Jalonick and Scott Bauer in the AP.

TODAY IN CONGRESS

The Senate is not in session.

The House is not in session.

AROUND THE HILL

*crickets*

Trivia

FRIDAY’S WINNER: Brad Fitch was first to identify Tom Foley as the most recent speaker who failed to win reelection to their House seat.

TODAY’S QUESTION from Brad: Freshman Rep. Rob Menendez (D-N.J.) is now serving in the same congress as his father, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.). When was the last time a father and son served together in the same congress, and who were they?

The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answers to aadragna@politico.com.

GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning.

Follow Daniella and Anthony on Twitter at @DaniellaMicaela and @AnthonyAdragna.