Axios Sneak Peek: Biden Pressure — Cut taxes ... Don't reopen detention center

Plus: Scoop: White House changes COVID protocol | Monday, March 15, 2021

Open in app View in browser     Axios Sneak Peek By Alayna Treene, Hans Nichols and Kadia Goba ·Mar 15, 2021 Welcome back to Sneak. The White House launched its stimulus sales pitch and Republicans tried to refocus attention on the border crisis. ⚡ Situational Awareness: Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is urging governors, mayors and state legislators to spare taxpayers by rejecting any of the $1.9 trillion stimulus package that does not directly reimburse their COVID-19 expenses. 📚 Worthy of your time: "Nashville Bomber Acted Alone, Driven by Paranoia, FBI Report Says," the Wall Street Journal reports. Today's newsletter — edited by Glen Johnson — is 522 words, a 2-minute read.     1 big thing: Biden faces pressure to cut taxes, too Photo: Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images   Blue-state lawmakers are pressuring President Biden to cut some taxes — while he raises others — in the horse-trading for his next big package, Axios' Hans Nichols reports. Why it matters: The cold math suggests Biden will be forced to sacrifice the size of his infrastructure ambitions or embrace even more deficit spending — and convince Congress to go along. Driving the news: Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), are pressing the White House to repeal the $10,000 limit for deducting state and local taxes — the so-called SALT cap — from their federal tax bill. Removing the limit — imposed by President Trump's 2017 tax reforms — would cost about $88.7 billion a year, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. Repealing the cap is deeply unpopular with progressives, who argue doing so would favor the rich. But many voters in high-tax (and Democratic) states — like New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland and California — hate the limit. The provision is scheduled to expire at the end of 2026. Go deeper.     2. Biden opposes reopening controversial child migrant shelter Kamala Harris and other presidential candidates outside a child detention center in Homestead, Florida, in June 2019. Photo: Rhona Wise/AFP via Getty Images   Biden opposes reopening a controversial child migrant shelter in Florida that's been run by a for-profit company, telling the federal agency overwhelmed with caring for migrant minors to find other options, people familiar with the matter tell Axios' Stef Kight and Hans. Why it matters: The president's personal intervention underscores the growing humanitarian crisis at the border, the facility's scandal-plagued past and Biden's own sensitivities around child detention practices. What they're saying: Vice President Kamala Harris, along with other Democratic presidential hopefuls, visited the Homestead, Florida, shelter as a senator in June 2019 and vowed to shut down private detention facilities. Advocates have pushed back against reports of HHS moving to use the shelter again. Biden seems to be listening. Go deeper.     3. Scoop: White House rolls back COVID-19 testing for staffers White House press secretary Jen Psaki and Bharat Ramamurti, deputy director of the National Economic Council, adjust their masks in the West Wing. Photo: Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images   The Biden administration issued new internal guidance Monday saying it would reduce daily coronavirus testing for White House staff to once a week, Axios' Alayna Treene has learned. Why it matters: Now that a majority of officials working on the 18-acre complex have been vaccinated, the administration is relaxing some of its coronavirus restrictions — a step closer to normalcy. Flashback: Unlike during the Trump administration — which had a lackadaisical attitude, sparking COVID-19 outbreaks in the West Wing and after a Rose Garden event — the Biden administration created a bubble around the president during the 2020 campaign that continued through his arrival in the Oval Office. What they're saying: "The Biden White House maintains strong COVID-19-related protocols in order to create a safe workplace for its employees," an administration spokesperson said. "Our testing protocol is informed by a range of factors, including an employee's vaccination status, and is only one of a host of measures in place to mitigate risk in the workplace." Go deeper.     A message from Axios The Week America Changed     Hear the latest series of Axios Re:Cap on The Week America Changed. Look back at the week of March 9, 2020 — the week high-profile leaders were forced to make choices that upended our lives, such as: Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg on sending employees home. Anthony Fauci on shutting down travel from Europ‪e‬. Listen for free.     4. Dems see China test for GOP Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios   Democrats think they have a test for whether they can work with Republicans on anything: it has to do with China, Alayna and Hans also report. What we're hearing: The White House is quietly supporting Schumer's forthcoming legislation to curb China's global influence to prove Democrats can still work with Republicans despite the GOP voting unanimously against the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. An interlude of bipartisanship could be an important prelude to another ugly fight expected over Biden's infrastructure package. Between the lines: Outcompeting China is an area in which Republicans and Democrats largely agree: It's the one issue on which Schumer and President Trump saw eye to eye. Schumer's team also sees this bill as a marker for whether Republicans are willing to give Democrats any win. Go deeper.     5. Pic du jour Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images   Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff step off Air Force Two in Las Vegas, their first stop to promote the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.     A message from Axios The Week America Changed     Hear the latest series of Axios Re:Cap on The Week America Changed. Look back at the week of March 9, 2020 — the week high-profile leaders were forced to make choices that upended our lives, such as: Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg on sending employees home. Anthony Fauci on shutting down travel from Europ‪e‬. Listen for free.   👏 Thanks for reading. A reminder you can sign up for email delivery of Sneak Peek and all our other free newsletters here.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. 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