Axios Sneak Peek: Progressive two-fer — AOC's private audience with Klain ... They want Biden to supersize spending

Plus: Senate Republicans warn corporate America over Iowa House race | Thursday, March 25, 2021

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Facebook   Axios Sneak Peek By Alayna Treene, Hans Nichols and Kadia Goba ·Mar 25, 2021 Welcome back to Sneak. The president met the press. 🚨 Breaking: The White House announced tonight that first lady Jill Biden and actress Jennifer Garner were postponing their visit to Alabama tomorrow "due to the severe weather across the South and tragic loss of life in the state of Alabama." 🌸 Hello D.C.! Reader survey from Axios Local: Would you like an Axios D.C. newsletter to get you smarter faster on what's happening in and around the capital? If yes, click here to share your thoughts. Today's newsletter — edited by Glen Johnson — is 843 words, a 3-minute read.     1 big thing: Scoop - AOC's private audience with Ron Klain Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images   White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain met quietly with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jamaal Bowman and other progressive lawmakers this week to discuss the filibuster, minimum wage and other issues, people familiar with the matter told Axios' Kadia Goba and Hans Nichols. Why it matters: The private, in-person meeting demonstrates the White House's commitment to staying in close contact with some of the House's most outspoken members, even if the parties don't always share the same strategy to achieve common goals. Klain didn't make any promises to oppose or ultimately abolish the current filibuster rules. He did indicate President Biden was committed to raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. The lawmakers, including Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Andy Levin (D-Mich.), agreed to a good working relationship going forward with planned additional meetings. Go deeper.     2. Scoop: House progressives want Biden to supersize spending Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios   Some of the House progressives also are privately discussing how they can push Biden for a second spending package substantially bigger than the $3 trillion over a decade floated in various news outlets earlier this week, Axios' Jonathan Swan reports. Why it matters: These members are attuned to the climate group Sunrise Movement's argument that "the crises we face demand at least $1 trillion per year over the next decade," two sources familiar with the conversation told Axios. Sunrise's extremely ambitious proposal — at least $10 trillion — could quickly emerge as a benchmark for House progressives to rally around. "Progressives feel like this package will define Biden's presidency," one source said, "and that $3 trillion over 10 years feels low, and it may not meet the scope of what we need to do — in particular on climate." The strategy was discussed during a phone call Tuesday among members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Several raised concerns about the size of Biden's next spending package, which the president plans to unveil Wednesday in Pittsburgh. Go deeper.     3. Senate Republicans warn corporate America over Iowa House race Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios   Senate Republicans are warning companies that cut off donations to the GOP after the U.S. Capitol attack that their standing on the Hill may suffer if they don't now speak out about Democrats' efforts to overturn a Republican House victory in Iowa, Axios' Lachlan Markay reports. Why it matters: Democrats are trying to expand their narrow margin in the chamber, a vital consideration heading into midterm elections, in which the party in power historically loses roughly two dozen seats. "If you decide to not speak out about this brazen attempt to steal an election, some may question the sincerity of your earlier statements and draw the conclusion that your actions were partisan instead of principled," said a letter co-authored by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). Among the companies that will be targeted are Fortune 100 firms with regular business before Congress, including Amazon, Verizon, Mastercard, Dow, Nike and Walt Disney. Go deeper.     A message from Facebook It's time to update internet regulations     The internet has changed a lot in the 25 years since lawmakers last passed comprehensive internet regulations. It's time for an update. See how we're making progress on key issues and why we support updated regulations to set clear rules for addressing today's toughest challenges.     4. Exclusive: Trump pollster identifies GOP's top 7 issue groups Data: Fabrizio, Lee & Associates; Chart: Will Chase/Axios The post-Trump Republican Party cares most about issues in seven key categories, with most prioritizing economic issues like job creation and limited government, according to a new survey conducted by former President Trump's chief 2016 and 2020 pollster reviewed by Axios' Alayna Treene. Why it matters: The survey of 1,264 GOP voters comes as Republican lawmakers are struggling to navigate the future of the party amid a Democratic administration, and could help guide key messaging areas ahead of the 2022 midterms. Survey respondents were given a list of 40 issues and asked to select the five most important to them. Republican polling firm Fabrizio, Lee & Associates then identified seven distinct "issue groups" from that data. The backstory: This is the third time Fabrizio, Lee & Associates conducted a national study of Republican voters to determine the topology of the party; others were done in 1997 and 2007. Go deeper.     5. Greitens runs for Senate after never-ending campaign Eric Greitens. Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for The Robin Hood Foundation   Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens' U.S. Senate bid looks like an official reentry into politics. In reality, the Republican has been campaigning for over a year, Lachlan also reports after reviewing a variety of records. The big picture: Greitens resigned in 2018 amid corruption and sexual misconduct allegations. But a state ethics panel cleared him of wrongdoing last year, and he's spent the months since tapping a six-figure reserve of campaign contributions to rehabilitate his image. Between the lines: Technically, Greitens was already a political candidate prior to this week. In multiple filings with state ethics officials in 2019 and 2020, he signaled his intention to run for Missouri governor or some other, unspecified state-level office. Those procedural steps allowed him to keep his campaign committee active and continue tapping the hundreds of thousands of dollars it still had in the bank. In addition to paying his extensive legal bills, Greitens has used that cash to boost his public profile and try to repair his political brand. Go deeper.     6. Schumer, Murphy plan to push gun reform with GOP Sen. Chris Murphy listens to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty Images   Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) are planning to put forward "the boldest legislation possible" for gun reform that can still receive Republican support, a source briefed on the meeting told Alayna. Why it matters: A big concern among many Democrats is that, as history has shown, the more time that elapses from a mass shooting, the harder it is to maintain momentum for meaningful political change. The meeting followed the mass shootings in Atlanta and Boulder, Colorado, over the past two weeks that left 18 dead. The decision and strategy emerged after the two met privately Thursday. While there's no indication of specific timing, the two will use the next several weeks to reach out to members from both parties and then put the measure on the floor for a vote.     7. Pic du jour Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images   A mirror image of President Biden's first newser.     A message from Facebook Facebook supports updated internet regulations     It's been 25 years since comprehensive internet regulations passed. But a lot has changed since 1996. See how we're taking action and why we support updated regulations to address today's toughest challenges — protecting privacy, fighting misinformation, reforming Section 230, and more.   This newsletter is written in Smart Brevity®. Learn how your team can communicate in the same smart, clear style with Axios HQ.   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. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: