Word on the Hill: Football Season on the Hill

By Alex Gangitano

Posted October 3, 2017 at 5:00am

Lawmakers who play in the Congressional Football Game for Charity got together for a reception at the Hall of States on Monday night, a week ahead of their big game.

The game takes place on Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. on the Hotchkiss Field at Gallaudet University (800 Florida Ave. NE).

Members of Congress and former professional football players make up the Mean Machine, while Capitol Police officers are the Guards, so named after the teams from the iconic football movie “The Longest Yard.”

Members present at Monday’s reception included Reps. Don Bacon, R-Neb., Rodney Davis, R-Ill., Jeff Denham, R-Calif., Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., Richard Hudson, R-N.C., Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, Joseph P. Kennedy III, D-Mass., Martha McSally, R-Ariz., Alex X. Mooney, R-W.Va., Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., Tom Reed, R-N.Y., Marc Veasey, D-Texas, and Tim Walz, D-Minn.

Former NFL players Ken Harvey and Gary Clark of the Washington Redskins, and John Booty, who played for the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets, were among the attendees scheduled to join members and Capitol Police officers at the reception.

Organizers are planning a Bipartisan Tailgate in the spirit of togetherness on game day. Stay tuned for previews and coverage.

Ah-nold in D.C.

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, R-Calif., will speak today at a rally opposing partisan gerrymandering while the Supreme Court hears arguments in the Wisconsin case, Gill v. Whitford. The rally, organized by Represent.Us and Common Cause, is expected to begin at 10 a.m. in front of the court.

Also happening today …

The March for Life Education and Defense Fundwill announce the theme for the 45th annual March for Life, set for Jan. 19, 2018, at a briefing with Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn. Noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Capitol Visitor Center, Room HVC-201. Lunch will be provided.

A rally for the DREAM Act is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. on the Capitol Lawn between the Senate and the Supreme Court. Senators including Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., are expected to participate. Oct. 5 is the deadline for the so-called Dreamers to file their renewal applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Staffer shuffle

Tyler Roberts has been named a vice president at Venn Strategies, the public and government affairs firm announced Monday. He most recently was health and tax policy adviser to Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and previously worked at the National Republican Congressional Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, among other Hill jobs.

Wicker celebrates Mississippi’s birthday

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., visited his hometown of Pontotoc, Mississippi, over the weekend, where he participated in festivities for the state’s bicentennial. Mississippi became the 20th state of the Union on Dec. 10, 1817 and the state has spent the year marking the anniversary through regional celebrations and coordinated local events.

This weekend, I traveled to my hometown of #Pontotoc to celebrate Mississippi’s #bicentennial. #MS200 #VisitMS #MississippiMonday pic.twitter.com/cYx7KCddBW

— Senator Roger Wicker (@SenatorWicker) October 2, 2017