GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Wednesday, Aug. 9, where we’re actively curious for the prettiest picture you want to share from your congressional district. You know where to hit us up! OHIO VOTERS REJECT ISSUE 1 Voters in Ohio on Tuesday rejected Republican-led efforts that would make it more difficult to amend the state’s Constitution. The measure would have raised the threshold to pass a constitutional amendment from a simple majority to 60 percent, as well as make it more complicated to get citizen-initiated ballot measures before voters in the first place. What this really was about: As we wrote in Tuesday’s Huddle, there’s another ballot initiative coming up in November, which would codify abortion rights in the Ohio Constitution. If Issue 1 passed, it would have meant a higher threshold for the abortion rights provision in a red state, rather than a simple majority. Democrats saw this measure as a direct attempt by the GOP to circumvent the will of a majority of the state’s voters. Democrats see this as a major win: “Democracy won in Ohio tonight,†Rep. Greg Landsman wrote on X Tuesday evening. More from POLITICO’S Madison Fernandez. GOP EYES HEARING AS D.C. CRIME SPIKES The first five days in August brought 13 homicides to Washington — an uptick year-over-year of 28 percent from 2022 — that has stunned and frightened the nation’s capital. That spike is front of mind for Republicans who have made D.C. crime a major talking point this Congress. A Republican aide told Huddle on Tuesday that the House Judiciary Committee will address crime in the U.S. — not just in Washington — during an upcoming field hearing. Details for that hearing, the aide said, are still being figured out. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the Judiciary chair, tied the August uptick in murders to the District’s political leaders, noting in a tweet that the rising crime had come in “Democrat-run Washington, D.C.†(He didn’t address the falling crime rate in the Democratic-run New York City.) The background: Wading into Washington’s criminal justice politics has already proven fertile ground for the GOP. Republicans scored an unexpected victory back in March when President Joe Biden signed into law a congressional rollback of a progressive crime bill that had passed the D.C. Council. An aide to Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), who led that crime bill rollback push in the Senate, told Huddle on Tuesday that the senator would “continue to monitor the steps the Council and Mayor take moving forward to address this concerning trend.†A spokesperson for the House Oversight Committee — which has already held two hearings this Congress with D.C. officials, including Mayor Muriel Bowser — didn’t announce next steps for its oversight of Washington but noted the “chairman has been pretty clear about his concerns regarding rising crime in the nation’s capital.†In a statement, Oversight Committee member Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) told Huddle that adequate police and prosecutorial resources “would shut down crime in DC within a month.†SINEMA AND GRIJALVA JOIN BIDEN IN DESIGNATING NEW MONUMENT President Joe Biden joined allies from battleground Arizona on Tuesday to celebrate the designation of a new national monument near the Grand Canyon. The new monument, a long-standing priority of local tribes, will protect more than 900,000 acres from new uranium mining. Notably by Biden’s side were Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), former chair of the House Natural Resources Committee Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.), Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. The politics of the visit: The event brought Biden to a state he won narrowly in 2020, putting him center stage on a popular issue in Arizona. The new monument has drawn the ire of mining companies but has broad support among Arizonans: 75 percent of state voters surveyed in a recent poll — including majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents — said they supported the new federal protections. Not always at odds: The former Democrat Sinema partnered with Grijalva and the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition to push Biden to designate the tribal nations’ homelands as the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument. The lawmakers haven't always been political allies, but advocacy for native issues can unite unlikely political partners in states with significant indigenous communities — think Arizona and Alaska. Not present at the Grand Canyon: Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), who’s vying for Sinema’s Senate seat next year and applauded the move in a statement. The progressive lawmaker did greet Biden on the tarmac upon his Arizona arrival Monday evening — and pushed Biden to do more to address climate change. LAWMAKERS ON THE MEND Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), injured last week while working on his ranch, underwent surgery on Monday to address a break in his hip socket, according to his office. “He sustained no additional injuries. He is feeling well and in good spirits and is looking forward to returning home,†Lucas’ office said in a statement to Huddle. Meanwhile, Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), who suffered from numbness in her face that doctors connected to swelling of a facial nerve most likely caused by a post-viral infection, is recovering and will be back in D.C. after the recess. “Sen. Britt is doing well and continues to recover at home. She looks forward to being at the first vote post-recess,†her spokesperson told Huddle.
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