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Teamwork makes the dream work: Sarah Ferris, Nicholas Wu, Andrew Desiderio, Olivia Beavers, Marianne LeVine and Daniel Lippman

WILL THE REVOLUTION BE INSTA-STORIED? The anonymous Instagram account “Dear White Staffers” has grabbed the attention of Hill aides for more than a year. But its following exploded in recent weeks with with a deluge of anonymous submissions about Hill aides’ strategies to survive on the rotunda’s often-meager pay, punishing hours and occasional casual workplace racism -- plus crowdsourced “vibe checks” with ratings and reviews of working for different lawmakers.

Are you glued to the Dear White Staffers account because you relate, or because you’re afraid of what might get posted about your boss? That’s a Venn diagram with a surprisingly big intersection. We know many chiefs of staff are hooked, along with seemingly endless numbers of Hill alums. Importantly, readers have to sniff out the truth for themselves, because personal experiences are painted as universal truths on the account. Conflicting information is also flying.

WORKING (WAY MORE THAN) 9 to 5 —  “However bad people think the financial situation and treatment of hill staffers is, it’s worse,” one current senior House aide told POLITICO. The rumors about staff using SNAP benefits to survive, working two side gigs and qualifying for low-income housing situations — that isn’t fiction. (And during Covid times, there aren’t robust receptions on the schedule to snag free food.) More from your Huddle host and a team of POLITICO reporters: ‘Ground up and spit out’: Inside the Hill staffer Instagram rebellion

READING THE ROOM — Congressional Progressive Caucus chief Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) is moving quickly to lay the groundwork for a leadership run next year. But those calls to her colleagues have unsettled some in the caucus, who say it’s too early to consider leadership jockeying with the House majority in jeopardy (and with the big three all seeking reelection).

Jayapal has been sounding out members about a caucus-wide position, according to 15 lawmakers and aides — even leaving some with the impression that she could challenge Assistant Speaker Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass). The CPC leader has also tapped two allies to help muster support, having Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) and David Scott (D-Ga.)make calls on her behalf.

While Jayapal is the only one widely making calls, we’re told several other Dems are expected to make a play if and when there are vacancies. That includes Clark, now assistant speaker; Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.); Caucus Vice Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) and Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Joe Neguse (D-Col.), Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.), Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and David Cicilline (D-R.I.).

Read the full story from Sarah and Nicholas: Jayapal's early leadership maneuvers raise House Dem eyebrows

GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Friday, February 4, where you know our Capitol community coverage didn’t start and won’t end here.

TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT — I’m preaching to the choir here, Huddle readers. Some of Dear White Staffers’ 24,000 followers may be shocked (shocked!) by the salaries and stories of exploitation, but many of you are living it, survived it, or couldn’t afford to. And some are trying to make it better for the next generation.

Along with all the other government spending that’s stuck as appropriators try to negotiate spending levels and settle for CRs, is money for Congress itself. The House approved a 21 percent increase for members’ allowances, leadership offices and committees back in July, but it’s stuck waiting to hitch a ride on an elusive omnibus.

But a members’ representational allowance boost isn't a cure-all. Those accounts are used for all office expenses, from constituent mail to member travel, so there’s no guarantee that staffers see more money.

One chief told POLITICO that his office never leaves a single dollar on the table and maximizes their budget but, like so much else, he learned tips and tricks for doing that by word of mouth. Some lawmakers tout returning office funds to the treasury to pay down the debt, but in reality, unused funds go to a leadership account on each side of the aisle.

Solidarity Forever? Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) voiced her supportfor any unionization push by House employees on Thursday, a major move that could pave the way for rapid action. Many Dem members flooded social media with support for staff unionization once the speaker weighed in.

HERE WE GO AGAIN — It’s T-minus 15 days until the federal funding deadline, and party leaders still haven’t reached an agreement on exactly how much each department should spend. With talks still ongoing, Democrats have begun to talk openly about a contingency plan to keep the government open, likely at least a week-long CR.

It’s not yet certain when either chamber would vote on that CR vote. But House Dems are eying late next week, to ensure that lawmakers don’t have to return the following week — during a recess — to vote on a stopgap.

Sound familiar? This would be the *third* CR of Biden’s presidency and Democrats are eager to get a bipartisan funding deal ASAP. As soon as that’s done, the two sides can — as Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) puts it — “just to get the damn thing written.” More from Jennifer Scholtes and Sarah: Congress plots another shutdown fallback

FROM RUSSIA WITH… DELAYS — Yesterday’s classified Russia briefings were intended to heighten lawmakers’ sense of urgency to pass a bipartisan bill to sanction Moscow and support Kyiv. Yet it left many concerned that the Senate’s talks are moving at too glacial a pace. Senators openly questioned whether their legislative push could come together in time to deter a Russian invasion of Ukraine — even as top negotiators insisted they’re very close to a final agreement.

“I’m concerned that Mr. Putin’s timetable is different than ours. And he may well move before we can get this done,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), one of the GOP negotiators on the effort. “We’re trying to encourage the administration to take appropriate steps, but right now Ukraine is over-matched in a dramatic way by the Russian capabilities.”

The two biggest hang-ups are nearly resolved. They’ve settled on a plan that would impose sanctions on Russia for the destabilizing actions it has already taken, like cyberattacks and false-flag operations. But a final agreement thus far remains elusive as senators discuss the scope of the sanctions and how much flexibility to give Biden. And even if they clinch an agreement, it’s not a sure bet that enough Republicans will back the proposal; plus, it’s unclear whether the White House will ultimately support the package. Andrew has much more on the negotiations and yesterday’s briefings: Senators worry Russia will invade Ukraine before they finalize sanctions bill

ANTI-CHINA SHOWDOWN WITH THE SENATE — The House on Friday is set to pass its version of a sweeping industrial policy bill aimed at combating China economically — a bill that has taken on new urgency for many Democrats amid economic crises like inflation and supply chain snags. The bill is packed with wins for Dem frontliners, though it’s expected to get few, if any, GOP votes.

But it won’t be a smooth road to Biden’s desk. The House bill, which looks mighty different than the Senate’s more modest, bipartisan counterpart, now sets up a showdown across the Capitol over how to reconcile the two bills.

Naturally, there’s a time crunch: Dems are pushing the House and Senate to reach a deal with lightning speed — ideally, sometime before March 1 so that Biden can tout the bill during his State of the Union address. But it’s unclear how quickly that can happen, or how willing Senate Republicans will be to compromise, again.

FIRST IN HUDDLE: VACCINATED VARIATION AT AOC — When a vaccinated employee at the Architect of the Capitol tests positive for covid, some get a mere two-and-a-half days of paid time off. But for unvaccinated employees in the same office who have a household member who gets covid or is exposed at work, it’s a totally different story: They’re getting at least two weeks of paid leave, and as much as 24 paid work days off.

The disparity, described by two employees to Daniel Lippman, has some workers in the sprawling agency livid that they’re being penalized for doing the right thing — getting vaccinated — while their colleagues who refuse to receive the shot get weeks of essentially paid vacation.

“If someone in my household gets it, I have to use a ridiculous amount of leave whereas someone who didn’t do what they should have done gets a free vacation,” said one of the employees. “It seems as if the people who are getting vaccinated are getting punished.”

Asked for comment, an AOC spokesperson said they are "committed to maintaining a safe working environment for all employees" and said they follow guidance from the CDC and the Office of Attending Physician. "Employees who were vaccinated and determined to be a close contact at work were not asked to quarantine. Unvaccinated persons were asked to quarantine. Those individuals who could not telework received administrative leave. ... AOC is again realigning the policy with current CDC guidance and in consultation with OAP."

PLAYING DEFEN$E — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) both held fundraisers for freshman Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) this week, with the GOP leader alone raising $100,000 for the Texas freshman in one night. While Gonzales has two primary opponents, they are lagging behind in fundraising.

Help reunite these glasses outside the Senate chamber with their owner!

QUICK LINKS 

Clyburn Pushes His Pick for Supreme Court, Testing His Sway With Biden, from Annie Karni at the New York Times

TODAY IN CONGRESS

The House convenes at 9 a.m.

The Senate is out.

AROUND THE HILL

9:00 a.m. New Dem Leadership Members call for action on the America COMPETES Act to ensure the final legislation reflects New Dem Priorities (HVC 117).

10:00 a.m. Speaker Pelosi and seven House committee chairs hold a press conference marking passage of the America COMPETES Act of 2022 (Rayburn Room).

THURSDAY’S WINNER:Eric Buetens correctly answered that Speaker Joseph Martin’s opening address of the 80th Congress was part of the first live television broadcast from the House Chamber. More from the Office of the House Historian.

TODAY’S QUESTION: How many lawmakers were founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus? If you can name them, go for it!

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