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With an assist from Nicholas Wu and Burgess Everett

FIRST IN HUDDLE: DOOMSDAY PREVIEW — Senate Republicans are launching a “prebuttal” to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, painting him as a harbinger of doom in a dystopian video expected out on social media channels this morning.

Issues including inflation, immigration woes, gas prices, crime, the exit from Afghanistan and the growing threat of China are superimposed on Biden himself in the (literally) dark black and white video. Yes, an image of the Chinese spy balloon made the final cut. What is either ash, dust or snow (up for interpretation) flies around the screen during the video adding to the dystopian look.

It opens and closes with the same question: “What is the State of our Union?”

DEMS GET IT DUNN? —  White House senior adviser Anita Dunn will be on Hill this morning to brief House Democrats on the president’s speech, giving the Democratic Caucus meeting a preview of Biden’s message. Senate Democrats will get a similar spiel from Dunn this afternoon via Zoom at 4 p.m.

What we expect to see in the speech:

• A push for an insulin price cap. 
• Strong case for continued support Ukraine. Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova will be in Jill Biden’s box. 
• A debt ceiling pitch
• A proposal to quadruple the 1 percent tax on stock buybacks. 
• House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) personally requested that Biden not use the phrase "extreme MAGA Republicans" in the speech, we’ll see if he abides. 

TRIAL BALLOON — House Republicans are pivoting earlier plans to denounce President Joe Biden and his handling of the Chinese balloon and moving towards a potentially bipartisan measure that will focus on China. Don’t count on a vote today ahead of the big speech.

Talks were underway Monday between McCarthy and his deputies and key Democrats about a bipartisan resolution to condemn the surveillance balloon’s incursion into U.S. airspace.

“I think you could see that this week,” McCarthy told reporters. “I think our greatest strength is when we speak with one voice to China.”

Popping balloon tensions: House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) privately lobbied GOP leaders to change course toward a bipartisan censure of the Chinese spy tactics and Sarah and Olivia report that the draft has significantly changed and could now get some Democratic support.

“My strong recommendation was … This is one of the things you want as a country to appear to be coming together. You don’t want a partisan resolution,” McCaul said. “I think that’s more important than our petty partisan politics.”

McCaul was set to go over the new text with his ranking member, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), later on Monday night.

Briefing on the books: McCarthy is working on setting up an all-members briefing on the balloon which is likely to be Thursday (the House hates to let the Senate get briefed without them). There’s an expectation that a smaller briefing for House Intelligence members would go first. Lawmakers have access to some information that is already available in the Capitol’s sensitive compartmented information facility ahead of an official briefing.

Senate side: This morning key staff of the Gang of Eight, plus certain aides to the whips and national security committees, will get a classified briefing on the balloon situation. On Thursday, the full Senate will have a classified briefing with Biden administration officials.

GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Tuesday, Feb. 7, where your host will be live from Statuary Hall at 8pm on CSPAN ahead of the speech.

A KLOBI-STAR RISING? — Sen. Amy Klobuchar has options. She’s newly elevated within Democratic Caucus leadership as head of the Democratic Steering Committee. And has the potential (and possibly a path with Debbie Stabenow of Michigan set to retire) to keep rising the Senate ranks and building legislative power.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has kind words, but isn’t revealing who he’d pick for that no. 3 leadership spot: “Amy has an amazing sense of the confluence of policy, press, and politics.”

But there’s also the White House. Klobuchar (D-Minn.) ran in 2020 before dropping out to endorse Biden.

One Senate Democrat says they see her chasing that dream again: “My view of it would be, which path are you going to choose? My sense is that the legislative leadership path is not consistent with presidential ambition,” the senator said, addressing the matter on condition of anonymity. “I think she does [look at the White House]. That’s just my gut.”

Burgess digs into both what’s happening now and what’s next for Klobuchar.

COMMITTEE RESHUFFLE — Remember the brouhaha over Democrats’ committee rosters last week? House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ (D-N.Y.) appointments drew some consternation from Democrats like Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), who didn’t make the cut for the House Intelligence Committee. Three Democrats — Reps. Ami Bera of California, Abigail Spanberger of Virginia and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania — had also appeared to run afoul of caucus rules prohibiting them from sitting on more than one standing committee in addition to the Intelligence panel. But after Monday’s Democratic leadership meeting, things appeared to be sorting out, according to a source in the room.

What’s moving: Bera will take leave from the Science, Space and Technology Committee, and Houlahan and Spanberger will take leave from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Two other members who also had been named to select panels also stepped down from some of their standing committee assignments despite not being required to by Democratic Caucus rules. Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-V.I.) is taking leave from the Agriculture Committee, and Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) is taking leave from the Science, Space and Technology Committee.

BORDER HEARING KICKS OFF — House Republicans are continuing their series of hearings on the current status of the U.S.-Mexico, this time at the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. The meeting will be framed around what Republicans say are failures of President Joe Biden’s immigration policies.

We got an advance look at House Oversight Chair James Comer’s (R-Ky.) opening statement, including assertions that “President Biden and his administration have created the worst border crisis in American history.” Comer will cite fentanyl flowing across the southern border and a record number of arrests at the border in fiscal year 2022.

Comer will also take aim at Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, saying he issued “a memorandum restricting law enforcement’s ability to enforce the law against illegal immigrants.”

“Administration officials continue to say they are creating a ‘safe, orderly, humane’ immigration system. But reality contradicts this propaganda,” Comer will also say in his opening statement.

The two witnesses expected at the hearing are Gloria Chavez, chief patrol agent, Rio Grande Valley Sector and John Modlin, chief patrol agent, Tucson Sector.

Democratic arguments are expected to be similar to what we heard last week by House Judiciary Democrats at their border hearing last week, countering GOP talking points on fentanyl with data on U.S. citizens bringing the drug through legal ports of entry and beefed up funding (under Democratic control) of border initiatives and DHS.

FLIP IT TO FOX — House Republicans have the clicker and they’re changing the channel to Fox News. Olivia noticed that televisions in common spaces like the Au Bon Pain in Cannon and the Longworth Cafeteria have all been tuned to Fox News from CNN in recent weeks. The House Administration Committee confirmed “The People’s House is once again reflective of the American people, with the common areas now showing the most watched cable network in the U.S.,” the committee tweeted.

Ice, ice, baby… Congress expert and senior fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings Molly Reynolds made your Huddle host laugh with this observation: “The Jan. 6th committee investigation was extremely well-resourced but incapable of solving one of Congress's most vexing problems: why all are the office buildings so cold?” She brought the transcript.

Start your training… There’s just 99 days until the ACLI Capital Challenge 3 mile road race, which features teams from congressional offices, the executive branch, the judiciary, military and media and is genuinely a lot of fun. The May 17 event is a fundraiser for Junior Achievement and has been a tradition for both speedy and casual runners across Washington. Will Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) be back to defend their titles as fastest members of Congress?

A masterpiece… Nearly 15 minutes of Bad Lip Reading on the House floor. (A little spicy, opt for headphones.)

QUICK LINKS 

Sinema’s split from Democrats shows party discord in Arizona, by The AP’s Jonathan Cooper in Phoenix

U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls’ campaign lost $150,000 in wire fraud theft, from Patrick Svitek at The Texas Tribune

McCarthy, Scalise go to war with U.S. Chamber after group backed some Democrats in 2020 and 2022 elections, from Brian Schwartz at CNBC

TRANSITIONS 

Jenna Behringer is now Rep. Primila Jayapal’s (D-Wash.) communications director. She was promoted from digital director and previously worked with Rep. Josh Harder (D-Calif.) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.).

Daniel Davis is now executive comms manager at Alliance Defending Freedom. He previously was a speechwriter for Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).

Dylan Cohen is now a research associate at the Science and Technology Policy Institute. He previously was a legislative assistant for the House Science Committee.

Hector Colón has been promoted to deputy chief of staff for Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.). He most recently was legislative director.

TODAY IN CONGRESS

The House convenes at 10 a.m. for legislative business and will proceed with a reading of the Constitution.

The Senate convenes at 3 p.m. At 5:30, it will hold a cloture vote on DeAndrea Gist Benjamin’s nomination to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

AROUND THE HILL

10 a.m House Armed Services Committee hearing on “The Pressing Threat from the Chinese Communist Party to U.S. National Defense.” (Rayburn 2118)

10 a.m. House Financial Services Committee hearing on combating the economic threat from China. (Rayburn 2128)

10:15 a.m. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) hold a press conference. (Nancy Pelosi Cannon Caucus Room)

10:30 a.m. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) holds a press conference ahead of the State of the Union address. (Senate Studio)

11:30 a.m. Jeffries, DPCC Chair Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), DPCC Co-Chairs Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.), and Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) hold a press conference ahead of the State of the Union. (House Triangle)

Noon Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) join House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and others for a press conference on child care relief legislation. (Senate Swamp)

1 p.m. Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) joins constituents of Rep. George Santos’ (R-N.Y.) district NY-03 for a press conference. (House Triangle)

MONDAY’S WINNER: Beth Gazley correctly answered that James Monroe was the first senator to become president.

TODAY’S QUESTION from Beth: Historically, in what month has the President’s State of the Union Address been most frequently delivered, and what was the reason for delivering the address in that month?

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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Follow Katherine on Twitter @ktullymcmanus