Friday, July 9, 2021

Dems gear up for crunch time on Biden agenda

A play-by-play preview of the day's congressional news
Jul 09, 2021 View in browser
 
POLITICO Huddle

By Olivia Beavers

BUZZER BEATER: It's game time for Democrats, who are entering their most consequential stretch of legislating since the passage of Obamacare.

But major decisions still have yet to be made, as Democrats try to land on the size and scope of President Joe Biden's domestic agenda.

The two critical months of July and August are ahead, when Democrats try to execute their so-called "two-track" strategy of enacting Biden's jobs and families plans via twin bills — one with bipartisan support on "hard" infrastructure and another Dem-led bill that would address climate change, increase child care and raise taxes on corporations and the wealthy.

As Burgess and Sarah write: "Work on both items is nearing a climax, with senators in both parties drafting that centrist bill for a July Senate vote and the Senate's 50 Democrats haggling over how big to go in their own party-line endeavor. Some House moderates are urging party leaders to focus squarely on the bipartisan bill, while many liberals remain skeptical it will happen at all — and Speaker Nancy Pelosi has threatened to sideline it without an accompanying Democratic package. A failed bipartisan result would force Democrats to write one huge spending bill marrying all their priorities."

In other words, Dems have some big decisions to make. They could reshape the federal government for years to come. But Dems only have slim majorities in both chambers to pull off the — as Ciara would put it — one-two-step.

"If you add the two plans together, it would be the biggest bill in the history of the country," said House Budget Chairman John Yarmuth (D-Ky.). "There's no way it's going to be easy."

More here from Burgess and Sarah: https://politi.co/3hPCW4V

WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS: Biden is defending his decision to withdraw the last lick of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, denying that the Taliban would eventually topple the U.S.-backed government in Kabul — an outcome national security officials say is inevitable.

Biden instead is throwing his support behind Afghan leaders as he seeks to remove the country from the nation's longest war by the end of the month.

"The Afghan government and leadership has to come together. They clearly have the capacity to sustain the government in place," Biden said. "The question is, will they generate the kind of cohesion to do it?"

"It's not a question of whether they have the capacity," he continued. "They have the capacity. They have the forces. They have the equipment. The question is, will they do it?"

This is a far different position from Gen. Austin Miller, the commander of the U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan, who recently warned in a recent news conference that civil war in the country is possible "if it continues on the trajectory it is on." And the president is also denying reports of a U.S. intelligence assessment, which says the government in Kabul could be toppled in as little as six months after the withdrawal.

More here from Andrew and our Quint Forgey: https://politi.co/2T3vBXi

Related: Johnson confirms most British troops have left Afghanistan, the AP reports: https://politi.co/3AEKssd | Taliban capture key Afghanistan-Iran border crossing, the BBC reports: https://bbc.in/3e0mP3u

FIRST IN HUDDLE: A group is pressuring three GOP senators to support efforts to expand access to paid leave, affordable childcare, and long-term care for seniors and people with disabilities with a new six-figure television and digital ad campaign.

Led by the #CareCantWait coalition, they are targeting GOP Sens. Richard Burr (N.C.), Pat Toomey (Penn.) and Ron Johnson (Wis.) by running ads in their respective states. The first ads ran yesterday.

Paid for by Care in Action on behalf of the coalition, it's their second round of ads seeking to garner support for the Biden administration's American Jobs and Families Plan.

Here is one of the ads, which ran in Wisconsin: https://bit.ly/2UA2wTu

 

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GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Friday, July 9, where Cups North is not a thing. Stop trying to make Cups North a thing.

THURSDAY'S MOST CLICKED: The AP's story on how the fencing is coming down, but visitors are still being blocked was the big winner.

HEY MR. CARTER, TELL ME WHERE'VE YOU BEEN: Georgia Rep. Buddy Carter (R) is weighing a bid for the Senate against Sen. Raphael Warnock (D). The only problem is, a potential candidate -- that's right, potential -- already seems to have the support of the former president, which is enough to keep Carter waiting to see if Herschel Walker does ultimately decide to jump into the race.

"If Herschel is going to run, I'm going to support him. And so is President Trump," Carter told the Atlantic Journal-Constitution. "And that means he's going to win the primary."

He also told the outlet: "I'm not interested in political suicide. I ain't gonna run against Herschel Walker in the state of Georgia. I was born at night, but it wasn't last night."

More here from AJC's Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy, and Greg Bluestein: https://bit.ly/3dYVwGV

TOY-OUTA: Toyota has been on a listening tour with the company's stakeholders and apparently they aren't happy to learn that the Japanese automaker has donated repeatedly to lawmakers who challenged the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

Toyota in a statement said it is "committed to supporting and promoting actions that further our democracy" through its PAC. "We are actively listening to our stakeholders and, at this time, we have decided to stop contributing to those members of Congress who contested the certification of certain states in the 2020 election."

The company faced increasing pressure to change its approach after Axios first reported that Toyota donated to Republicans who objected to Biden's more than any other company. The Lincoln Project, the anti-Trump advocacy group, released an ad yesterday hitting the company.

More here from NBC News: https://nbcnews.to/3ALmdsk

EVIDENCE DEPOSITORY: "The Justice Department has agreed to pay $6.1 million to a technology contractor to create a massive database of videos, photographs, documents and social media posts related to the Capitol riot as part of the process of turning relevant evidence over to defense attorneys for the more than 500 people facing criminal charges in the Jan. 6 events, according to a court filing and government records," Josh Gerstein and Kyle report: https://politi.co/3qY9nCl

WHAT A CREW: Five Floridians, who hail from the Tampa Bay area, are facing charges for attacking at least seven police officers during the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

Yesterday, the Justice Department unveiled an indictment alleging that the defendants repeatedly assaulted police officers using flagpoles and stolen riot shields in addition to using their fists and feet to punch and kick members of the force.

CNN has the details: https://cnn.it/2UCeJY4

IN WEIRD STORIES OF THE WEEK: DNA test won't be ordered in John Conyers estate case, by Detroit Free Press' Christine MacDonald: https://bit.ly/3r9HA2d

 

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CAMPAIGN CENTRAL

GROUND GAME: "Fifteen months before the midterm elections, groups … are mobilizing across the country — both Democrats who have enjoyed a historic Latino allegiance and Republicans emboldened by gains in 2020 — all trying to lock down the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population. … The stakes are high, particularly for Democrats who are counting on Latino votes as a vital part of a winning coalition for cycles to come," AP's Will Weissert reports: https://bit.ly/3xvJLz8

DOUBLE WHAMMY: "Iowa Democratic Rep. Cindy Axne, who is mulling Senate or House runs, has pulled off the rare feat of being attacked by both the NRCC and NRSC on the same day," Burgess noticed.

HANDS OFF: Senate Democrats weigh merits of anointing primary candidates, by the National Journal's Madelaine Pisani: https://bit.ly/3hrS7lR

REDISTRICTING WOES: "We're (expletive) idiots": Some Democrats regret Colorado's new redistricting process now that their party is in charge, the Colorado Sun's Jesse Paul reports: https://bit.ly/3qXOO9g | House candidates declare campaigns for districts that don't exist yet amid redistricting delays, by CNN's Dan Merica: https://cnn.it/36pHius

TRANSITIONS

Morgan Routman has been promoted to be communications director for Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.). She most recently was Frankel's press secretary.

TODAY IN CONGRESS

The House and Senate are out.

AROUND THE HILL

4 p.m.: Hawaii Reps. Kaialiʻi Kahele and Ed Case, representatives from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and other groups will hold a press conference at the House Triangle to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the enactment of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act.

TRIVIA

THURSDAY'S WINNER: Dan Cohen was the first person to correctly guess that four U.S. presidents were widowed before taking office. Their deceased wives' include: Martha Jefferson, who died several years before Thomas Jefferson was elected; Rachel Donelson Jackson, who died before Christmas of 1828 and ahead of her husband Andrew Jackson's inauguration the following spring; Martin Van Buren's wife, Hannah Hoes Van Buren, died of tuberculosis at the young age of 36; and Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur died in January of 1880, while Chester Arthur continued campaigning and won the election.

TODAY'S QUESTION: From Dan: Who claimed in an attack ad that his opponent was "mean-spirited" while also suggesting that murder, robbery, rape and incest would be taught and practiced if his opponent was elected? Hint: This candidate was also an admitted vandal, having defaced the personal property of a well known writer for a souvenir (e was abetted in the act of vandalism by the same political opponent). Name the vandal, name his opponent, and whose personal property was defaced?

The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answers to obeavers@politico.com

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