| Welcome to The Hill's Morning Report, and happy Tuesday! This daily email, a successor to The Hill’s Tipsheet, is reported by Jonathan Easley and Alexis Simendinger to get you up to speed on the most important developments in politics and policy, plus trends to watch. (CLICK HERE to subscribe!) ❝ I would put it at a 60-65 percent chance the House flips. ❞ -- Charlie Cook, Cook Political Report editor and publisher, WTOP radio interview. The network of groups affiliated with billionaire conservative donors Charles and David Koch are taking a new look at which Republican candidates to support this year. The groups still plan to spend up to $400 million on politics and policies this election cycle, but they’re deeply frustrated by what they view as the GOP’s refusal to take up major legislation ahead of the midterm election. Americans for Prosperity president Tim Phillips, a senior Koch network political strategist, tells us they’ve made their misgivings known to the White House and GOP leaders in Congress, including Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.): “We’ve been disappointed so far this year and it’s going to cause us to closely evaluate the involvement we may or may not have in individual races,” Phillips says. The Koch network isn’t only exasperated with Republicans for passing the $1.3 trillion spending package or frustrated by President Trump’s threatened tariffs. They also want to see Congress act on: - Protection for so-called “Dreamers” in exchange for border security.
- Criminal justice reform.
- Rolling back Dodd-Frank banking rules.
- Providing access to experimental drugs for terminally ill patients.
- A rescission package to claw-back omnibus spending.
- A vote to make individual tax rate cuts permanent.
“The best opportunity they have to hold the House for their majority is to accomplish big things on policies that will improve the lives of Americans,” Phillips adds. Some of the network’s donors privately tell us that the House majority looks like a lost cause, potentially accelerating the movement of money toward protecting the Senate majority. Republicans up for reelection in this difficult midterm election cycle know how beneficial support from the Koch Network can be, both for media ad buys and in activating their network of door-knockers and phone-bankers. The network spent millions to help elect former Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) in 2010. They pulled their support from her in 2016 and she lost by about 1,000 votes. Also that year, the network actively campaigned against former Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.), who lost in a primary to current Rep. George Holding (R-N.C). There are no plans at this point for the Koch Network to target Republicans in primaries or support Democrats in general elections. But GOP incumbents are on notice to get things done if they want Koch support. “It’s late April,” Phillips says. “Time is ticking.” | 
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