Word on the Hill: Holiday Time

By Alex Gangitano

Posted December 12, 2016 at 5:00am

As the 114th Congress comes to a close, send us photographs of your office getting into the holiday spirit to be featured in HOH.

This is the final week of the holiday party season, so check out our guide on how to navigate these events.

Here are the highlights for this week. Find the full list of parties here.

Tuesday

National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Stanton & Greene, 319 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. RSVP: RSVP@nreca.coop.

Wednesday

National Confectioners Association for members of the Senate Press Secretaries Association, 6 to 8 p.m. at Acqua Al 2, 212 7th St. SE. Invite-only.

Thursday

Hamilton Place Strategies & Smithsonian, 6 to 9 p.m. at the Renwick, 1661 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Invite-only.

Duckworth is staffing up

Sen.-elect Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., announced senior staff appointments on Friday, including new chief of staff Kaitlin Fahey, who was campaign manager for her Senate race, and Kalina Bakalov, her House chief of staff who will serve as deputy chief of staff and legislative director in her Senate office. Ben Gash Garmisa, Duckworth’s House communications director and previous press secretary for Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., will serve as communications director.

Overheard

“You have an accurate recollection of modern history.”

— White House spokesman Eric Schultz when a reporter noted that the president has signed previous versions of the defense policy legislation despite gripes over some provisions.

“Pigs will fly before they cancel that game.”

— Sen. John McCain, a graduate of the Naval Academy, predicted an executive order to allow the Army-Navy football game on Saturday in Baltimore game to proceed.

ICYMI: HOH’s weekly video

In the latest HOH video, Alex Gangitano talks about Sen. Ted Cruz getting emotional about queso, Sen. Tom Cotton‘s new baby and a nativity procession in front of the Supreme Court.