Axios Sneak Peek: Sanders wary of White House dealmaking ... Scoop — Biden's infrastructure meeting

Plus: Two more scoops on White House Zoom strategy, Florida redistricting group | Sunday, May 09, 2021

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Facebook   Axios Sneak Peek By Alayna Treene, Hans Nichols and Kadia Goba ·May 09, 2021 Welcome back to Sneak. Thanks to all the Sneak Team Moms! ⚡ Situational awareness: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) dropped all pretense and announced he was backing Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to replace Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) to be House GOP conference chair. Today's newsletter — edited by Glen Johnson — is 936 words, a 3.5-minute read.     1 big thing: Bernie Sanders skeptical of White House dealmaking plan Photo: "Axios on HBO"   Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) indicated to "Axios on HBO" he's already impatient with the White House's quest for Republican support for President Biden's infrastructure package, saying, "The American people want results" and don't care if these results are achieved with bipartisan votes, Axios' Jonathan Swan writes. Why it matters: The Budget Committee chairman and former presidential rival can cause a lot of headaches for Biden if he so chooses. He controls the budget process Senate Democrats have used to bypass GOP opposition and pass legislation on a pure party-line vote. He's also one of the Democrats' key progressive leaders. Plus, on party-line votes, Democrats can't afford to lose anyone in a 50-50 Senate. Driving the news: To test Sanders' reaction to the White House's thinking on what has broadly been dubbed "infrastructure" — but in reality is a sweeping social welfare program that goes well beyond what is commonly understood as infrastructure — Swan asked the Vermont senator to react to a quote from the influential Biden aide Steve Ricchetti. Here's what Ricchetti told the Washington Post: "We have a little more time for the consideration of this, and the percolation of these proposals, to have broader consultation and dialogue. There's more receptivity on the Republican side to having that dialogue, and they also see the potential to reach some common ground here." Here's how Sanders reacted: "In general I don't agree with that. ... The bottom line is the American people want results." "And frankly, when people got a, you know, $1,400 check or $5,600 check for their family, they didn't say, 'Oh, I can't cash this check because it was done without any Republican votes.'" The bottom line: If these bipartisan negotiations drag into the summer, expect progressives like Sanders to get increasingly vocal about their frustrations. Sanders believes the lesson of the Obama era — in which the former president held out hope of getting Republicans to support the Affordable Care Act — is that it's foolish to let Republicans slow-walk the Democratic agenda. Keep reading.     2. Scoop: Biden, Carper to talk infrastructure at White House Sen. Tom Carper. Photo: Leigh Vogel-Pool/Getty Images   Biden will discuss the infrastructure proposal with Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), chairman of the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee, during a meeting tomorrow at the White House, two sources tell Axios' Alayna Treene. Why it matters: This is a big week for Biden to advance the American Jobs Plan. Congress will return to the Capitol following a weeklong recess, and the focus of most conversations within the Capitol will be squarely on whether both parties can strike a bipartisan deal. The meeting also follows Friday's disappointing jobs report, which left many lawmakers eager to make progress on a deal. Biden is expected to meet later this week with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, the top Republican on the committee. Behind the scenes: Carper is a Biden friend from Delaware and has been working closely with Capito and other Republicans on a separate transportation reauthorization bill. It's aimed at tackling a lot of the traditional infrastructure the Republican Party favors — including improving and expanding roads, highways, bridges and ports. Between the lines: Carper and other Democratic members see this bill as a realistic way to finding a compromise with Republicans on infrastructure, given the measure must pass and focuses on areas of overlap between the two parties. Keep reading.     3. Scoop: White House embraces Zoom to target local audiences Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo conducts a TV interview the same day President Biden traveled to Pittsburgh to sell his $2 trillion infrastructure plan. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images   The White House is seizing upon the pandemic's breakthrough technology to give local TV stations nearly 500 Zoom interviews to date with senior White House officials and members of the Cabinet, Axios' Hans Nichols reports. Why it matters: The Biden administration is trying to sell the president's policies to Americans who don't live and breathe politics by reaching them at home with broadcasts fed directly from a 4th-floor studio in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. "The president wants to demonstrate and explain to the American people that government works again, and that is what underpins our communication strategy — and that drives our focus on local media," said Kate Berner, deputy White House communications director. By the numbers: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has made 50 appearances from the studio, the most appearances by any user, according to figures kept by the White House. Heather Boushey, a member of the Council of Economic Advisers, leads the list of appearances by White House staff with 34 hits. From the communications team, deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has done 28 interviews. White House press secretary Jen Psaki had taped 23. To date, officials have reached 40 states through 485 interviews. How it works: When Cabinet secretaries, mayors or lawmakers are at the White House, the communication team asks them to stay on campus for an extra hour and tries to stack as many pre-taped interviews as possible. After the session, officials will sometimes swing down to Pebble Beach, the graveled area outside the West Wing that's home to White House correspondents and their cameras, to do an additional round on cable TV. Keep reading.     A message from Facebook The internet has changed a lot since 1996 - internet regulations should too     It's been 25 years since comprehensive internet regulations passed. See why we support updated regulations on key issues, including: Protecting people's privacy Enabling safe and easy data portability between platforms Preventing election interference Reforming Section 230     4. Scoop: New redistricting group aims to use Florida to flip House Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios   A former Trump administration official is aiming to win the House back for Republicans with a new redistricting group focused on Florida that he's launching tomorrow, Axios' Stef Kight writes. Why it matters: With multiple competitive seats, an extra seat the state is receiving because of population growth and the once-a-decade redistricting process, "whoever controls the U.S. House could come through Florida — and I think it will come through Florida," Carlos Trujillo told Axios. Just as Democrats looked to California to flip control of the House in the 2018 midterms, this group of Republicans sees Florida as the path back to House control in 2022. Trujillo, a former Florida lawmaker, was President Trump's ambassador to the Organization of American States. Districts to watch: Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist is no longer seeking reelection for Florida's 13th District, and fellow Democratic Reps. Val Demings and Stephanie Murphy are both considering forgoing reelection to run for statewide office. With five current vacancies in the House, three flipped seats would be enough to split the chamber between Republicans and Democrats "I think that's how competitive and how instrumental Florida will be. It's not only for the next election cycle but really for the next 10 years in the country," Trujillo said. Plus, Florida is receiving an additional seat from reapportionment, based on the results of the most recent census. Keep reading.     5. Tweet du jour Via Twitter.   So tart, "Face the Nation" made sure to highlight it twice.     A message from Facebook Why Facebook supports updated internet regulations     2021 is the 25th anniversary of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the last major update to internet regulation. It's time for an update to set clear rules for addressing today's toughest challenges. See how we're taking action on key issues and why we support updated internet regulations.   🙏🏽 Thanks for starting your week with Sneak! Your family, friends and colleagues can sign up here for this free newsletter.   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: