Overnight Finance: Trump touts strong dollar after Mnuchin controversy | Trump sees 'good chance' for NAFTA deal | Opens door to Pacific trade pact | Consumer bureau delays prepaid card rule | Regulators want more oversight over digital currencies

View in your browser     Trump keeps NAFTA withdrawal in the mix: President Trump kept the specter of a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) withdrawal alive Thursday as negotiators meet this week to hammer out a deal. Trump said the United States must get a better shake in an updated NAFTA deal or he will consider terminating the 24-year-old pact with Canada and Mexico. "I may terminate NAFTA, I may not. We'll see what happens," he told CNBC during an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. But he also held out that the possibility that the three longtime trading partners could eventually reach an agreement. "I think we have a good chance, but we'll see what happens," Trump said. Canadian and Mexican trade ministers were more optimistic during a Thursday panel in Davos. The Hill's Vicki Needham reports: http://bit.ly/2DFUWO8.   Trump after Mnuchin controversy: 'I want to see a strong dollar' on Thursday said he prefers a strong U.S. dollar and said comments by his Treasury secretary praising a weak dollar were taken out of context. Trump told CNBC that he wants the value of the dollar to increase and expects it to do so as the economy continues to grow. "The dollar is going to get stronger and stronger, and ultimately I want to see a strong dollar," Trump said during a CNBC interview in Davos, Switzerland.  The value of the dollar hit a three-year low Wednesday after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said "obviously a weaker dollar is good for us as it relates to trade and opportunities." "Longer-term, the strength of the dollar is a reflection of the strength of the U.S. economy and the fact that it is and will continue to be the primary currency in terms of the reserve currency," Mnuchin continued. Mnuchin's remarks were a break in precedent, since most previous Treasury secretaries have touted a strong dollar. I explain here: http://bit.ly/2DHEL2M.   Consumer bureau delays prepaid card rule until April 2019: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on Thursday delayed its rule on prepaid cards and debit accounts for a year while also announcing changes to the rule. The CFPB pushed the effective date of the regulation forward to April 1, 2019, a year later than it was originally intended to begin. The bureau also made changes meant to boost compliance with the rule and loosen rules on linking credit cards to prepaid accounts or "virtual wallets." The announcement is the latest in acting CFPB Director Mick Mulvaney's expanding effort to reshape the bureau and its regulatory legacy. Mulvaney announced in December that the CFPB would reopen its rules on prepaid accounts and mortgage servicing, the first regulatory targets of his effort to rein in the bureau. The yearlong delay to the prepaid card rule will give Mulvaney, the new political aides he brought in and his successor time to make drastic revisions. I'll break it down here: http://bit.ly/2DE6qSb.   Regulators ask Congress for more power to police cryptocurrencies: The United States' two top trading regulators on Wednesday asked Congress for more direct jurisdiction over cryptocurrency trading. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Jay Clayton and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman J. Christopher Giancarlo asked lawmakers for "direct oversight" of internet-based cryptocurrency trading platforms only subject to state rules. "A key issue before market regulators is whether our historical approach to the regulation of currency transactions is appropriate for the cryptocurrency markets," Clayton and Giancarlo wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published Wednesday. "We would support policy efforts to revisit these frameworks and ensure they are effective and efficient for the digital era." The SEC and CFTC are the two main regulatory agencies charged with policing the expanding world of cryptocurrencies and the financial products they've created. While the agencies have power to police cryptocurrency trades and investments, state government have jurisdiction over most platforms used to purchase and hold the digital currencies: http://bit.ly/2DEQqzr.   Happy Thursday and welcome back to Overnight Finance. I'm Sylvan Lane, and here's your nightly guide to everything affecting your bills, bank account and bottom line. See something I missed? Let me know at slane@thehill.com or tweet me @SylvanLane. And if you like your newsletter, you can subscribe to it here: http://bit.ly/1NxxW2N.   Trump faces challenges in Davos: President Trump was set to jet off for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday evening. But his attendance at the storied gathering of the global elite sits incongruously with the image he has sought to paint for himself. As a candidate first, and then as a president, Trump said he was the standard-bearer of "the forgotten men and women of our country," as he put it in his inaugural address.  In policy terms, he seems to share little common ground with the globalization-friendly Davos crowd. He has pulled the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and dismissed the Paris climate accord. More generally, he advocates an "America First" economic policy, a phrase redolent of protectionism. That leaves some of the president's more populist allies perplexed by the decision to go to Davos. The Hill's Niall Stanage tells us more: http://bit.ly/2DDg7jz.    Mnuchin: US doesn't want trade war: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the U.S. is not aiming for a trade war on Thursday, one day after the dollar plummeted to a three-week low in response to his previous comments. "We want free and fair and reciprocal trade. So I think it's very clear we're not looking to get into trade wars. On the other hand, we are looking to defend America's interests," Mnuchin told reporters in Davos, Switzerland, according to Reuters. On Wednesday, he offered praise for a weak dollar, saying it presents economic opportunities.  "Obviously, a weaker dollar is good for us as it relates to trade and opportunities," Mnuchin said. "Longer-term, the strength of the dollar is a reflection of the strength of the U.S. economy and the fact that it is and will continue to be the primary currency in terms of the reserve currency," he continued: http://bit.ly/2DCQ3W1.   Trump says he would re-enter TPP trade deal if it's made 'substantially better' President Trump said Thursday he would consider re-entering the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement if the terms were more favorable to the U.S. "I would do TPP if we were able to make a substantially better deal," Trump told CNBC during an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Trump called the Pacific Rim trade pact a "horrible deal" as written. The comments mark the first time Trump has raised the possibility of rejoining the sweeping trade agreement, which was championed by former President Obama. It's a surprising stance for Trump, who won the 2016 election on a promise to take a more protectionist stance on trade. The Hill's Jordan Fabian explains: http://bit.ly/2DFXn3e.   Home Depot announces employee bonuses, citing tax reform: Home improvement retailer Home Depot announced on Thursday the company would be giving a one-time cash bonus of up to $1,000, citing the new Republican-backed tax plan.  "We are pleased to be able to provide this additional reward to our associates for continuing to deliver outstanding customer service," Craig Menear, the company's chairman, CEO and president, said in a statement. "This incremental investment in our associates was made possible by the new tax reform bill." According to CNBC, the retailer will use a sliding scale for the bonuses, with six different tiers.  The $1,000 bonus is for employees who have worked at Home Depot at least 20 years, according to CNBC: http://bit.ly/2DE806z.   GOP mocks Wasserman Schultz for saying $1,000 doesn't go 'very far' Republicans are criticizing Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) after she downplayed the $1,000 bonuses a number of companies have announced following passage of the new GOP tax law. At an event in Florida on Thursday hosted by the Not One Penny campaign, Wasserman Schultz noted that employees would be taxed on these bonuses. "I'm not sure that $1,000 -- which is taxed, taxable -- goes very far for almost anyone," she said.  The comments from Wasserman Schultz, the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, were quickly picked up by right-leaning media outlets. They also got the attention of House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) and other conservatives on social media. http://bit.ly/2DGg3Qt.     Write us with tips, suggestions and news: slane@thehill.com, vneedham@thehill.com, njagoda@thehill.com, and nelis@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @SylvanLane,  @VickofTheHill, @NJagoda, and @NivElis.         Did a friend forward you this email? 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Overnight Tech: Employee who sent false missile alert not cooperating with FCC | Trump nominates four to the FTC | Hatch unveils bill on high-skilled visas | New push for broadband infrastructure

View in your browser     EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBLE FOR FALSE ALERT NOT COOPERATING WITH FCC: The employee responsible for sending a false mobile alert across Hawaii warning of an incoming ballistic missile is not cooperating with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) investigations looking into the matter, an FCC official said Thursday. Lisa Fowlkes, who heads the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, told lawmakers at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing that, while leaders at the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency were cooperating with investigators, the employee who sent the notification was not. "We are quite pleased with the level of cooperation we have received from the leadership of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency thus far," Fowlkes said. "We are disappointed, however, that one key employee, the person who transmitted the false alert, is refusing to cooperate with our investigation," she added. "We hope that person will reconsider." Widespread panic and confusion broke out in Hawaii earlier this month after an alert was sent to mobile devices warning that a ballistic missile was heading toward the state and urging people there to take immediate shelter. Read more here.   TRUMP NOMINATES FOUR TO FTC: President Trump put forth four nominees to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which has been operating with only two of its five seats filled throughout his administration. The names are not entirely new. Last year, Trump announced his intention to nominate antitrust attorney Joseph Simons to chair the agency; Noah Phillips, an aide to Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), to fill one of the GOP slots; and consumer advocate Rohit Chopra to serve in the Democratic opening. But for some reason, the White House did not submit the proper paperwork to the Senate. On Thursday, Trump renominated them to the consumer protection agency along with a fourth, Delta Airlines vice president Christine Wilson, to fill the Republican opening that will be left by Maureen Ohlhausen, the current acting chairwoman who was recently nominated for a federal judgeship. Simons is a longtime corporate antitrust attorney with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, and also headed the FTC's competition bureau under the George W. Bush administration. Chopra is a senior fellow at the Consumer Federation of America and a former assistant director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) had recommended Chopra to the White House as a potential Democratic pick. Cornyn on Thursday hailed the decision to nominate Phillips, his chief counsel. "A talented lawyer and dedicated member of my staff, Noah's extensive work on the Judiciary Committee will serve him well in this role," Cornyn said in a statement. "He will be a big asset to the Commission, and I'm proud to support his nomination." Read more here.   Please send your tips and comments to Ali Breland (abreland@thehill.com) and Harper Neidig (hneidig@thehill.com) and follow us on Twitter: @alibreland and @hneidig. We're also on Signal and WhatsApp. Email or DM us for our numbers.   HATCH RELEASES H-1B BILL: Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) released legislation on Thursday that would expand high skilled immigration visas and allow the spouses and children of such visa holders to legally work in the U.S. According to the text of the bill, Hatch's Immigration Innovation (or I-Squared) Act would increase the cap on H-1B high skilled immigration visas from 65,000 to 85,000 a year and expand the number of visas allocated to meet demand up to 195,000. The bill would also scrap the per-country cap on employment-based green cards. The bill, if it became law, would also create a legislative provision to allow the dependents of H-1B visa holders to legally work in the U.S. with H-4 visas. The Department of Homeland Security has signaled that it is considering scrapping this program, to the dismay of the technology industry, which has vocally supported the visa. The visa increases don't come without caveats. In an attempt to win over President Trump and other Republicans wary of increased immigration, the bill would make sure that holders of U.S. master's degrees or higher, foreign Ph.D.'s and U.S. STEM bachelor degrees are prioritized in the lottery process. Read more here.   CONGRESS FULL STEAM AHEAD ON INFRASTRUCTURE: Congress is making a push to get rural internet access projects funded through President Trump's promised $1.7 trillion infrastructure plan. Lawmakers representing rural areas have argued that many of their constituents are losing out on economic and educational resources due to a lack of broadband access. And as the president teases an infrastructure plan, members are stepping up their calls for increased funding. This week, leaders of the bipartisan House Rural Broadband Caucus raised their concerns about the possibility that the plan might not include any funding for rural internet connectivity. The increasing importance of internet access has turned it into an infrastructure issue that many see as just as vital as roads and bridges. Read more here.   SOROS LASHES OUT AT TRUMP, TECH GIANTS: Billionaire Democratic donor George Soros on Thursday took aim at President Trump and tech giants during an appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "I consider the Trump administration a danger to the world," Soros said, according to Bloomberg News. "But I regard it as a purely temporary phenomenon that will disappear in 2020, or even sooner." "I give President Trump credit for motivating his core supporters brilliantly," he added. "But for every core supporter, he has created a greater number of core opponents who are equally strongly motivated. That's why I expect a Democratic landslide in 2018." Soros, who said climate change should be viewed as a threat to civilization, also targeted Facebook and Google in particular in his remarks, calling for stricter regulations, BuzzFeed News reported. Read more here.   SAN JOSE MAYOR RESIGNS FROM FCC ADVISORY PANEL: San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo has reportedly quit a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) advisory committee that focuses on broadband deployment. Liccardo accused the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee of providing policy recommendations that give internet service providers "a very favorable hand," Axios reported. "It has become abundantly clear that despite the good intentions of several participants, the industry-heavy makeup of [the committee] will simply relegate the body to being a vehicle for advancing the interests of the telecommunications industry over those of the public," Liccardo said in his resignation letter. Read more here.   IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: BuzzFeed: Cryptocurrency scammers are running wild on Telegram Reuters: Benchmark Capital drops lawsuit against ex-Uber CEO Kalanick Fight For The Future launched its campaign to get Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) to be the 51st vote in the Senate to preserve net neutrality rules IBM CEO Ginni Rometty talks about data responsibility at Davos         Did a friend forward you this email? 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Overnight Energy: EPA tweaks 'major' pollution source standards | Patagonia fights monument rollback with countdown clock | Zinke uses gun show to promote opening public lands

View in your browser     EPA CHANGES STANDARDS FOR 'MAJOR' EMITTERS: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) loosened regulatory compliance standards Thursday for certain sources of air pollution previously considered "major." Bill Wehrum, head of the EPA's air office, put out regulatory guidance repealing the "once in, always in" policy, in which facilities like power plants or factories considered "major" sources of hazardous air pollutants were always regulated as such, even if the facilities' owners took measures to reduce pollution. "This guidance is based on a plain language reading of the statute that is in line with EPA's guidance for other provisions of the Clean Air Act," Wehrum said in a statement. "It will reduce regulatory burden for industries and the states, while continuing to ensure stringent and effective controls on hazardous air pollutants." The EPA argued that the "once in, always in" standard disincentivized companies from reducing pollution and targeted it as part of the Trump administration's overarching goal of cutting regulatory burdens. The Natural Resources Defense Council slammed the move, saying it will cause the biggest increase in air pollution in United States history. "This is among the most dangerous actions that the Trump EPA has taken yet against public health," John Walke, the group's clean air director, said in a statement. "This move drastically weakens protective limits on air pollutants like arsenic, lead, mercury and other toxins that cause cancer, brain damage, infertility, developmental problems and even death. And those harmed most would be nearby communities already suffering a legacy of pollution." Read more here.   PATAGONIA WON'T LET TRUMP FORGET NATIONAL MONUMENTS: Outdoor retailer Patagonia wants to remind the public that time is ticking down for the Trump administration to continue protecting two national monuments. Patagonia, along with The Wilderness Society, The Center for American Progress and The Conservation Lands Foundation, projected a countdown clock Wednesday night on the front of a Bureau of Land Management building in Denver. The projection is part of Patagonia's ongoing actions to protest the Interior Department's decision to rollback national monument designations at Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah. The designations officially end a week from now, on February 2 at 9 a.m. EST. The projection showed the hours, minutes and seconds until the designation expires along with the slogan "Monuments for All." Read more here.   ZINKE MAKES THE ROUNDS AT GUN EXPO: Interior Department Secretary Ryan Zinke took his professed love for hunting to the world's largest gun trade show in Las Vegas this week, where he spread the word on the importance of public land access. Speaking on the Josh Tolley radio show from the event Thursday morning, Zinke said he attended the Shooting, Hunting Outdoor Trade Show -- which he referred to as "Trump country" -- to "let people know that our public lands belong to our people and not the government." "Local voices have been ignored," Zinke told the radio host, adding that the administration is "opening our roads and letting people enjoy their land and putting the 'R' back in recreation," appearing to allude to Republican. "These special interest groups don't want people on what they perceive as their land -- you cannot even ride a mountain bike in a lot of lands, so we need to adjust that." Zinke made a number of radio appearances at the event and tweeted out photos of him doing interviews with conservative radio hosts Michael Koolidge and Dana Loesch. "Radio row is always fun. Talking with #Illinois own @koolidge about #hunting and @NatlParkService #SHOTShow, " Zinke tweeted. Read more here.   DEMS WANT INTERIOR TO DO MORE ON HARASSMENT POLICY: Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee say the Interior Department has a lot of work left to do in its fight against sexual harassment and assault among workers. The report released by the leading Democrats on the panel found that while the National Park Service (NPS) has robust policies that cover important areas like maintaining confidentiality and prohibiting retaliation, other agencies within the department do not. The findings come shortly before the other Interior agencies, like the Bureau of Land Management and the Fish and Wildlife Service, are due to submit revised sexual misconduct policies following Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's request for changes. "The report shows conclusively that one of the first steps in addressing harassment is to implement a strong anti-harassment policy and make all staff aware of it, a step some agencies have yet to take," Reps. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and A. Donald McEachin (D-Va.) wrote in a piece in The Hill about the report. "Such policies cannot stop at an often counterproductive 'zero tolerance' statement of purpose, as Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's comments on the issue have frequently done," they wrote. "They need to lay out a clear mechanism for reporting incidents of harassment, create a meaningful and predictable process for investigating claims, protect the confidentiality of complainants and explicitly prohibit retaliation against those who come forward." Read more here.   ON TAP FRIDAY: The Brookings Institution will host Neomi Rao, head of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, to discuss Trump's regulatory agenda.   AROUND THE WEB: California officials are punishing Tesla for alleged violations of state labor laws related to handling of hazardous chemicals, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board is conducting a full investigation into the Oklahoma oil rig explosion this week, KFOR reports. Michael Dourson, Trump's former nominee to lead the EPA's chemical office, says he was unfairly maligned during the confirmation process and wanted to fight back more than he did, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.   FROM THE HILL'S OPINION SECTION: Jim Lyons of Capricorn Investment Group says electric vehicles are better for the environment and public health than fossil fuel ones.   IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Check out Thursday's stories ... - Patagonia protests shrinking monuments with countdown clock projection - EPA loosens rules on some 'major' air pollution sources - House Dems: Interior's sexual harassment policy has 'major deficiencies' - Zinke touts opening up public lands at Vegas gun show - EPA pushes unified national fuel emissions standard - Whitefish Energy spent $150k lobbying Congress amid Puerto Rico scrutiny - Signs at EPA building tout 'environmental achievements' under Trump     Please send tips and comments to Timothy Cama, tcama@thehill.com, and Miranda Green, mgreen@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @Timothy_Cama, @mirandacgreen, @thehill         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Energy Newsletters     Forward Energy Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

Overnight Defense: Trump faces tough choices in Syria | Top officer: Marines had 'horrible year' with air crashes | House panel reintroduces defense spending bill

View in your browser     THE TOPLINE: President Trump faces a slew of unappetizing choices in Syria as the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) winds down. The administration recently acquiesced that U.S. troops will stay in the country even after the terrorist group's defeat. But Trump's voter base could see the indefinite stay as an example of the sort of nation-building the president promised to end, while lawmakers are warning they haven't authorized such a mission. Meanwhile, NATO ally Turkey has begun bombing a Syrian Kurdish force that the U.S. built up to help fight ISIS. Lawmakers say the situation is an example of Washington's chickens coming home to roost after choosing to back a force another ally sees as a terrorist group. "We need to have a hearing on this," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said, referring to the way forward in Syria. "We need to find out what have we done here. What is our Syrian strategy? Our Syrian strategy cannot be to hold Arab territory with a bunch of YPG Kurds ... who are seen by Turkey and people inside of Syria as being unacceptable." His comments came after Turkey this week began an offensive against a Kurdish force known as the YPG in Afrin, a region in northern Syria. The Hill's Rebecca Kheel has the rest here.   PENTAGON CALLS TURKEY'S ACTIONS IN SYRIA A 'DISTRACTION': Tensions between the U.S. and Turkey continued to simmer on Thursday as officials on both sides called on each other to scale back military involvement in a key region of Syria. "Turkey is an ally and we're going to work with them, but this current issue offensive is a distraction and we have to focus as allies on the mission at hand and that's defeating ISIS," chief Defense Department spokeswoman Dana White told reporters at the Pentagon, referring to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria terror group. NATO ally Turkey last week began an offensive called "Olive Branch" against a Kurdish force known as the YPG in Afrin, a region in northern Syria. The U.S. has built up the Syrian Kurdish force to help fight ISIS, but Turkey considers the YPG to be a terrorist organization within its borders. The U.S., however, considers the Kurds the most effective force fighting ISIS on the ground in Syria and has provided weapons, training and air support to the group. Turkey on Thursday later urged the U.S. to halt its support for the Kurdish YPG fighters or risk confronting Turkish forces on the ground in Syria. Read about that here.   MARINES HAD 'A HORRIBLE YEAR' WITH AVIATION CRASHES: The Marine Corps' top officer on Thursday said the military branch "had a horrible year last year" with a series of critical aviation mishaps. Gen. Robert Neller made the comments while addressing a string of emergency helicopter landings this month in Japan, which he blamed on readiness issues. He said there had been 12 aviation mishaps last year that resulted in either the loss of aircraft or the deaths of service members. "The majority of them, they were not the result of the material condition of the airplane. I'm just going to leave it at that," Neller said at a Center for Strategic and International Studies event in Washington. His remarks came after a Marine AH-1Z Viper helicopter made an emergency landing Tuesday on Okinawa. A warning light went off in the cockpit during a training exercise and the pilot decided to land. The mishap was the third such incident in January. That was followed by emergency landings by Marine helicopters on Jan. 6 and Jan. 8. Read the rest here.   HOUSE PANEL RE-INTRODUCES DEFENSE SPENDING BILL: The House Appropriations Committee re-introduced Thursday a bill to fund the Pentagon for fiscal year 2018. "It is past time that this essential, must-pass Department of Defense funding bill is enacted into law," committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) said in a statement Thursday. "Congress must act responsibly and quickly to get these dollars out the door and where they are needed as soon as possible." The House has twice passed defense appropriations for fiscal 2018, but the Senate has not voted on a defense spending bill because Congress has yet to agree to a budget deal that would set the top-line dollar figure for defense and non-defense funding. But earlier this month, House leadership promised defense hawks and conservatives another vote on a defense appropriations bill in exchange for their votes on a stopgap spending measure needed to avert a government shutdown. Read more about the bill and its details here.      ICYMI: -- The Hill: Coalition: At least 831 civilians killed since start of ISIS war -- The Hill: Government watchdog adds security clearance process to 'high risk list' -- The Hill: Kissinger: Nuclear proliferation greater threat from North Korea than a strike -- The Hill: China in talks to participate with US in large-scale military drills: report -- The Hill: US planning to send aircraft carrier to Vietnam for first time since war -- The Hill: Air Force chief of staff shares African immigrant's story: 'He's an inspiration' -- The Hill: Opinion: Our enemies could use nuclear weapons to create EMP attack -- The Hill: Opinion: We are one tantrum away from accidental war with North Korea     Please send tips and comments to Rebecca Kheel, rkheel@thehill.com, and Ellen Mitchell, emitchell@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @thehill, @Rebecca_H_K, @EllenMitchell23         Did a friend forward you this email? 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