News: Scoop: What Ron Klain told progressives behind closed doors

Thursday, March 18, 2021

Scoop: What Ron Klain told progressives behind closed doors

Mar 18, 2021

View in browser

By Rachael Bade, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri and Eugene Daniels

Presented by

Listen to today's Daily Briefing

DRIVING THE DAY

SCOOP: WHITE HOUSE CONSIDERING BREAKING UP 'BUILD BACK BETTER' — Leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus met with White House chief of staff RON KLAIN at the White House on Wednesday morning. We caught up with CPC Chair PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-Wash.) on Wednesday night, and here's what she told us:

1) ON 'BUILD BACK BETTER': Progressives pressed for a commitment that President JOE BIDEN'S jobs plan will address not only transportation but climate change, health care and so-called family infrastructure, things like child care and paid leave. Jayapal laid out concerns that those things won't be possible unless Democrats go the 51-vote reconciliation route, as opposed to trying to cut a deal with Republicans. "We can either go green, or we can go bipartisan, because I just don't think that Republicans are ready to have a transformative package — and so I said that at the White House," Jayapal said.

Klain did not say what the plan was. But he indicated to the CPC leaders that the White House is exploring different options, including the possibility of breaking up the jobs package into as many as three bills, according to Jayapal. Some could garner bipartisan support; and some could be done through reconciliation.

"I think they share that commitment to addressing climate in this infrastructure package," Jayapal said. "Maybe that's part of the reason they were saying there may be multiple bills."

In theory, there'd be at least a handful of Republicans who would back a narrower package to pay for new roads and bridges — because they think the country needs it and their constituents want it — but not want to go further. The question is whether the GOP would be willing to cut a deal knowing that another trillion-dollar bill could be next.

2) TAXING THE RICH — Progressives laid out their thinking about how the Build Back Better plan should be used to redistribute wealth. Klain, according to Jayapal, seemed to agree. "We did have a very good discussion about how the White House sees any revenue [raisers] — and I think we share their perspective — that revenue raisers are really about making the tax code fair," Jayapal said. "And of course, addressing the massive and unprecedented income inequality in this country. … That's very much our frame as well."

3) RETURN OF THE MINIMUM WAGE DEBATE — Progressives pressed Klain to commit to making the $15 minimum wage happen — somehow, someway — and left feeling like he agrees it needs to be a priority. Progressives brought up nuking the filibuster to get it done. Another idea floated in the room: attaching a wage increase to must-pass legislation.

The second idea could be risky. If Democrats added the wage hike to government funding, for example, it could cause a showdown with the GOP over a potential government shutdown.

"There was no consensus around it, but I will just say we got a very clear sense that this is a real commitment for the White House, and they're very willing to work with us on what that looks like," Jayapal said.

A message from Amazon:

Three years ago, Amazon raised its starting wage to at least $15 an hour, and recent studies show that it doesn't just benefit Amazon workers—it raised average hourly wages in the area by 4.7%. Learn more about what else the research found.

4) IMMIGRATION — Klain also indicated that Biden would soon increase the cap on the number of refugees that would be admitted to the U.S., something Biden promised to do in early February but has yet to follow through on. More broadly, the CPC leader said Klain agreed that more needs be done to address the crisis (our word, not his) at the border.

The White House, Jayapal said, is hindered by the Trump administration's move to dismantle immigration facilities and infrastructure at the border. But they're working to get that fixed. "They want to speed that up. They want to more quickly work on a solution, and we all understood the importance of that."

— We should pause for a second to reflect on the power of the CPC right now. A few years ago, the group was viewed as a bunch of radicals with no clout. Now they're flexing and commanding the attention of the White House. Biden called Jayapal after the American Rescue Plan passed, and she told him she wants these kinds of meetings to happen regularly. Now CPC has not one but two meetings at the White House in a span of a few days (another is expected by the end of the week).

In addition to Jayapal, the members who attended the Klain meeting were Reps. ILHAN OMAR (D-Minn.), MARK POCAN (D-Wis.), BARBARA LEE (D-Calif.) and CORI BUSH (D-Mo.), per two sources. Klain did not respond to a request for comment.

Good Thursday morning. Got a news tip? A document to share? Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri.

JOIN US! Republicans haven't won a statewide election in New York in almost two decades. Rep. LEE ZELDIN (R-N.Y.), an ally of DONALD TRUMP, is among the Republicans considering a challenge against embattled Gov. ANDREW CUOMO. Join TARA and RYAN at 9 a.m. today for a conversation with Zeldin on his potential 2022 gubernatorial run, working with Democrats in Congress and more. Register here

SIREN — "Trump's taxes in hand, Manhattan DA's probe heats up," AP: "Amid the swirl of activity, the Manhattan district attorney's office is scheduled Friday to meet again with Trump's longtime former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, according to a person familiar with the investigation.

"It would be the eighth time he has spoken with investigators working for District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr., dating to Cohen's time in federal prison for tax evasion and campaign finance violations. The person familiar with the inquiry wasn't authorized to speak publicly about the interview and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity."

ABOUT THE U.S.-CHINA BILATERAL TALKS — A U.S. official tells our Nahal Toosi that this week's high-level meetings between Chinese and American officials are set to be held at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage, Alaska. While the plan is not set in stone, three three-hour meetings are expected to be held over Thursday and Friday. Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN and national security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN will meet with senior Chinese diplomats YANG JIECHI and WANG YI. The United States has used the hotel before: Then-President BARACK OBAMA stayed there in 2015 during the GLACIER Conference, which tackled the issue of climate change in the Arctic.

— Read the NYT's David Sanger and Michael Crowley for a good primer on the talks.

A message from Amazon:

From 2009 to 2019, health care costs increased 33% but the federal minimum wage increased by 0%. It's time to raise the federal minimum wage.

BIDEN'S THURSDAY — The president and VP KAMALA HARRIS will receive the President's Daily Brief at 9:30 a.m., a Covid-19 briefing at 1:15 p.m. and the weekly economic briefing at 2:15 p.m. Biden will deliver remarks on the state of vaccinations at 3:15 p.m. in the East Room, where he will be joined by Harris.

— Press secretary JEN PSAKI and HUD Secretary MARCIA FUDGE will brief at 12:30 p.m.

— Harris will ceremonially swear in DEB HAALAND as Interior secretary at 10:30 a.m. and KATHERINE TAI as USTR at 6:15 p.m. She'll also meet with women leaders in the labor community to discuss the American Rescue Plan at 11:15 a.m.

THE HOUSE will meet at noon. The Judiciary civil rights subcommittee will hold a hearing at 10 a.m. on discrimination and violence against Asian Americans.

THE SENATE will meet at 10 a.m. It will vote on XAVIER BECERRA'S nomination for HHS secretary at noon and will vote to invoke cloture on MARTY WALSH'S nomination for Labor secretary at 1:30 p.m. The Judiciary Committee will vote on the nominations of LISA MONACO for deputy A.G. and VANITA GUPTA for associate A.G. at 10 a.m.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION, SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST": Power dynamics are shifting in Washington, and more people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. "The Recast" is a new twice-weekly newsletter that breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics, policy and power in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country, and hear from new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out on this new newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW. Thank you to our sponsor, Intel.

PLAYBOOK READS

The National Constitution Center will serve as the new home of the iconic First Amendment tablet, which previously adorned the facade of the Newseum in Washington D.C. and is engraved with the opening words of the First Amendment of the Constitution.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: A rendering shows the National Constitution Center, which announced today it will serve as the new home of the First Amendment tablet that previously adorned the facade of the Newseum.

CONGRESS

MCCONNELL'S FILIBUSTER LOGIC — Senate Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL has been en fuego the past few days warning Democrats that there will be hell to pay if they nuke the filibuster, starting with a floor speech and then with a WSJ op-ed. His protests prompted N.Y. Mag's Jonathan Chait to question the logic of the minority leader's case. "Mitch McConnell's latest defense of what remains of the filibuster yesterday veered wildly between two irreconcilable claims," Chait writes. "On the one hand, he warned a majority-rules Senate would be a 'scorched earth,' 'disaster,' 'hundred-car pileup' in which nothing happens. On the other hand, he warned that once Republicans gained control of government, the chamber would become a smooth-running machine in which conservative priorities are quickly enacted. …

"McConnell has made gridlock so routine that both he and his imagined audience see the idea of a party enacting the proposals it advocates as fantastical and scary."

— National Review editorial: "Joe Biden Was Right the First Time on the Filibuster"

PANDEMIC PARTISANSHIP — "The Capitol's new Covid divide: Getting back to normal," by Sarah Ferris and Melanie Zanona: "After 12 long months in a mostly deserted Capitol, a sense of normalcy is returning much more quickly in GOP offices than Democratic ones as lawmakers and staffers embrace the post-Covid vaccine life — or choose to flout health guidance altogether. All the while, the coronavirus remains active and less than 15 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated against it.

"Although official public health precautions remain in place, there's a growing sense of impatience among House Republicans to revert back to a pre-pandemic congressional experience, even as dozens of lawmakers refuse to be vaccinated. While Democrats still refuse to gather in person — holding caucus meetings via conference call and conducting hearings virtually — House Republicans have been meeting weekly in person in the Capitol for weeks now."

WHAT KEVIN MCCARTHY IS READING — "Pelosi Might Steal an Iowa House Seat," by Karl Rove in the WSJ: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a numbers problem that won't get better soon. After the GOP's surprise pickup last year of a dozen House seats, her majority stood at 222-213. If five Democrats defect on any bill, it fails, assuming Republicans stay united.

"Mrs. Pelosi may be tempted to pad her House Democratic margin by reviving a practice used extensively between 1875 and 1903. The Constitution provides that each congressional chamber 'shall be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its own members.'"

SO MUCH FOR THAT — "Pelosi's push for 9/11-style Capitol riot commission stalls in political quicksand," by Kyle Cheney and Andrew Desiderio: "What seemed like a no-brainer at the time — a 9/11-Commission-style review of the origins of the mob, the white nationalists who joined it and the security failures that allowed it to briefly occupy the Capitol — has instead become the latest theater for dysfunction on Capitol Hill as the two parties squabble over the panel's scope and partisan balance."

THE WHITE HOUSE

DEPT. OF TEA LEAF READING — "White House warms to filibuster reform," by Natasha Korecki and Laura Barrón-López: "Inside the White House, there is a growing belief that the president's agenda will be at risk—and the Senate itself at risk of irrelevance—if the current rules remain in place, two people familiar with internal White House discussions said. …

"At the heart of their argument is a proposition: if the filibuster is used to stymie voting and civil rights legislation, the minority in the Senate will remain protected to the detriment of minority voters. 'This whole thing that the filibuster cannot be changed, that's almost like saying to me Brown vs. Board of Education was wrongly decided. That's what you're saying?' [House Majority Whip Jim] Clyburn (D-S.C.) said in an interview."

TOP-ED — Tom Edsall in the NYT: "Biden Wants No Part of the Culture War the G.O.P. Loves": "The sheer magnitude of the funds released by the American Rescue Plan, the White House is gambling, will shift voters' attention away from controversies over Dr. Seuss, who can use which bathroom and critical race theory. So far, the strategy is working."

ON THE ATLANTA SHOOTINGS — "Biden decries 'brutality' against Asian Americans following Atlanta-area spa shootings," NBC: "President Joe Biden on Wednesday addressed the spa shootings in Atlanta that left eight people dead, saying he understands the concern among Asian Americans as investigators work to determine a motive.

"'Whatever the motivation here, I know Asian Americans, they are very concerned, because as you know I have been speaking about the brutality against Asian Americans, and it's troubling,' Biden said."

A message from Amazon:

All Amazon employees in the U.S. make at least $15 an hour.

POLITICS ROUNDUP

COMING ATTRACTIONS — Rep. MO BROOKS (R-Ala.) will announce Monday his run for Senate alongside former Trump aide STEPHEN MILLER, who has been advising him. Trump's endorsement for the seat soon to be vacated by Alabama Sen. RICHARD SHELBY is still up in the air, now that his former ambassador LYNDA BLANCHARD and strong ally Brooks have announced their intention to run, but our sources say he's leaning toward Brooks.

RICHMOND'S SIGNOFF — "Cedric Richmond endorsement before joining White House roils Louisiana race," WaPo: "[Richmond] threw his support behind Troy Carter, a state senator vying for the safely Democratic seat in a special election this Saturday.

"That decision blindsided some of Richmond's colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), who had received mixed messages from him about choosing sides in the hard-fought primary, which pits Carter against 14 other candidates, including Karen Carter Peterson, a state senator and former vice chair of the Democratic National Committee. The race has divided heavily along gender lines, with Peterson garnering endorsements from many Democratic women and Carter mostly backed by men."

NOT THE J.D. WE KNEW — "J.D. Vance Joins the Jackals," The Bulwark: "Whatever the future of the Republican party will be, the shape-shifting J.D. Vance sheds light on the dynamics of how we got here and where the Republican party is headed. This week, billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel announced that he is donating $10 million to a super PAC supporting Vance's potential run for the Senate seat from Ohio. Vance hasn't yet declared his candidacy, but Thiel has been boosting him for a while and it's a safe assumption that he isn't prone to throwing away his money.

"Vance today is a fixture of the Trumpist right, but that isn't the way he debuted."

TRUMP CARDS

ONLY GOOD BOOKS — "Trump set to do at least 12 book interviews in the coming weeks," by Meridith McGraw and Gabby Orr: "The sheer number of book interviews is so massive that some in his orbit worry he may be doing too many and hurting his ability to monetize his own recollections for a book of his own, should he choose to write one.

"In the coming weeks, Trump is expected to meet with several reporters who spent years tracking his political ambitions or covering his presidency and quest for reelection. The list includes The New York Times' Jeremy Peters as well as Maggie Haberman; The Wall Street Journal's Michael Bender; ABC News' Chief Washington Correspondent Jon Karl; 'Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House' author Michael Wolff; and Washington Post journalists Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig. Some of the authors are capitalizing on the success of their previous Trump books — and the continued interest in his time occupying the White House — by writing a sequel."

— PAGE SIX'S CINDY ADAMS: "Kellyanne Conway spins White House stint into multimillion-dollar book deal"

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

TOTAL RECALL — "California recall backers confident after submitting 2.1M signatures," by Carla Marinucci: "Supporters of the recall targeting California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday they submitted 2,117,730 signatures by the day's deadline, a number that appears to comfortably exceed the required threshold even if some are invalid.

"Newsom himself acknowledged Tuesday that the recall will likely qualify, and he has already assembled a team that will mount his defense in what's expected to be the nation's biggest election in 2021. Democrats could raise well over $100 million to defend the governor's seat in one of the bluest states in the country."

— Carla also has a useful rundown of Newsom's team of advisers and operatives lined up to fight the recall.

THE TRUMP-CUOMO NEXIS — John Harris' latest column: "Andrew Cuomo Mind Melds With Donald Trump on Scandal Survival": "In this generation, Trump and other politicians have shown there is another choice: Contemptuously challenge the legitimacy of any court that would presume to judge you, and take advantage of the reality that there is no elite consensus that transcends partisan and ideological divides on any subject.

"Cuomo's thought bubble isn't hard to read: Hey, what worked for Trump might work for me."

— "Women Reporters Faced Cuomo's Creepy Behavior, Too," The Daily Beast

TUNE IN TO GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS: Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded over the past year amid a global pandemic. This podcast helps to identify and understand the impediments to smart policymaking. Subscribe and start listening today.

PLAYBOOKERS

HUZZAH! — "Eugene Daniels Joins MSNBC As A Contributor," Deadline: "Daniels also recently signed with WME Entertainment for representation in all areas."

VACCINATION CELEBRATION — "Chicago Hospital Executive Bragged About Vaccinating Eric Trump On Day His Hospital Vaccinated Workers At Trump Tower," Block Club Chicago: "In a photo obtained by Block Club Chicago, Dr. Anosh Ahmed, chief operating officer of Loretto Hospital, poses with a smiling Trump, the son of former President Donald Trump. In a text message, Ahmed bragged about vaccinating Trump that day: 'Vaccinated Eric Trump,' he said after sharing the photo. He also shared a message praising Trump, calling him a 'cool guy.'

"Ahmed shared the photo with people on March 10 — the same day Loretto Hospital held a vaccination event at Trump Tower, where Ahmed owns a unit. Metadata from the photo confirms it was taken the afternoon of March 10 at or near Trump Tower." With pic

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Senate Aging Committee ranking member Tim Scott (R-S.C.), ahead of the panel's first hearing today, is adding Neri Martinez as staff director, Sarah Khasawinah as deputy staff director, Thuc-Nhi Nguyen as lead policy and oversight researcher, John Graham as a senior professional staff member, Parker Reynolds and Ben Hobbs as professional staff members, Mannar Hanna as a senior policy and legal aide, Blandon David as executive assistant to the staff director, Roberto Estrada Lobo as policy and comms manager and Payton Lang as staff and comms assistant.

— Eric Heigis is now legislative director for Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.). He previously was legislative director for former Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), and after Meadows resigned to become White House chief of staff, Heigis stayed with the vacant office until January.

NEW … The Faith and Politics Institute announced that Reps. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Fred Upton (R-Mich.) will serve as co-chairs, replacing the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.).

STAFFING UP — The White House has named Kevin Rinz and Ernie Tedeschi as senior economist and senior policy economist, respectively, at the Council of Economic Advisers. … The White House announced it plans to nominate Jose Fernandez as undersecretary of State for economic growth, energy and the environment.

TRUMP ALUMNI — Audra Weeks is now press secretary for Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.). She previously was deputy press secretary for the Trump campaign, and is an Agriculture Department alum. … Brianna Herlihy is now global media relations lead at the Celsius Network, a cryptocurrency startup. She previously was a spokesperson and director of press advance at DOJ.

TRANSITIONS — Calli Shapiro will be health legislative counsel for Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.). She currently is legislative director for Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.). … David Richey and Herb Tyson have joined Scarlet Oak Strategies. Richey is now managing director for the Western U.S. and previously was an SVP at Strategies 360. Tyson is a senior adviser for state government affairs and previously was VP of global public policy at the International Council of Shopping Centers.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Katherine Tai, who'll be sworn in today as USTR … Reince Priebus … Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY's List … former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe … Terri McCullough, chief of staff for Speaker Nancy Pelosi … Gary Coby, CEO of Open Sesame … Marc Adelman … Jim Mazzarella, SVP for public policy and comms at the Global Innovation Fund … Laura Cunliffe … Matt Schuck … Facebook's Kristin Lee … CAP Action's Will Ragland … David Mark … former Rep. Mike Bishop (R-Mich.) … POLITICO's Victoria Colliver, Nick Niedzwiadek and Alix Beadle-Ryby … Keshia Clukey … IBM's Mike DeFilippis … Austin Wright … National Media's Will Feltus … CNN's Zachary Cohen … Todd Hames … Kate Denis of the Consumer Brands Association … Joe Dougherty, comms director for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies … Fox News' Jessica Curry and Karrah Kaplan … Hailey Ghee … Henry Rodgers, senior congressional correspondent for The Daily Caller … Chris Harris, VP at Weber Shandwick and Powell Tate … Jaime Venditti, managing partner and president of J Strategies … Liz Gorman … Jeffrey Surrell, founder and managing director of Shot Point Strategies … Emily Smith, director of client partnership at Global Prairie … Ashlee Reid Morehouse of Republic Strategies … Bloomberg's Kate Hunter … Karen Knutson, VP and general manager of government affairs at Chevron … Kiki Kalkstein, director of advocacy and engagement at the Global Health Council … Neal McDonald of FlexPoint Media … Jacki Becker Klopp of ICE … Jerry Fritz, EVP at ONE Media and a POLITICO original (7-0) … NBC News PR's Haylie Reichner

Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Mike Zapler and producers Allie Bice, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross.

A message from Amazon:

In 2020, Amazon created more than 275,000 new jobs across the U.S. and currently provide over 800,000 Americans with at least a $15 an hour starting wage and benefits.

Amazon believes $15 an hour is the minimum anyone in the U.S. should be paid for an hour of labor.

Raising the federal minimum wage will provide immediate relief to America's hourly workers and their families, boost spending and fuel our long-term economic recovery.