| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | JUST POSTED — “Is Antony Blinken Too Nice to be Secretary of State?” by Nahal Toosi: “The secretary of State has shown ... quiet fury in private these last few months as he’s tackled the Israel-Hamas war, the trickiest challenge so far in his tenure. But maybe it’s time America’s chief diplomat expressed some of that anger in public. Because at the moment, he looks weak.”
|  Mitch McConnell is questioned by a reporter as he walks to his office at the Capitol Feb. 1, 2024. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | THEY’RE STUCK — Here’s a sobering assessment from one House Democrat of where things stand on the ongoing and intertwined effort to fund Ukraine’s defense against a Russian invasion, funnel new aid to Israel amid its war with Hamas, bolster Taiwan’s defenses against a possible Chinese incursion and forge a bipartisan compromise on border security: “I’m coming to the notion that everything is dead,” said the Dem lawmaker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to render the frank judgment. “All of it.” Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that the ambitious effort to roll together all those pressing matters is falling apart in the hothouse of a presidential election year. But it’s worth stepping back on how, on two separate fronts this week, Congress has put itself on a course that could see it abandoning commitments to three key strategic allies and rejecting a hard-fought compromise on a thorny domestic issue. You know by now what’s happening in the Senate. Here’s MITCH McCONNELL speaking about the $188 billion national security supplemental on the Senate floor yesterday afternoon: “It’s now time for Congress to take action.” And here’s the Senate minority leader speaking to fellow Republicans in a closed-door meeting last night, per Burgess Everett and Ursula Perano, amid a fierce revolt over the border security negotiations he had cultivated for months: “McConnell told Republicans that if they didn’t like the direction that the bill is going, they should vote against moving forward this week.” The abrupt about-face from McConnell tells you everything you need to know about how the bill’s debut went yesterday, when a morning trickle of GOP opponents turned into a flood — 22, by the WSJ’s count — by the time the minority leader faced his conference in their 90-minute meeting and he bowed to political reality. Another blow this morning: Sen. JOHN BARRASSO (R-Wyo.), the No. 3 GOP leader, is opposing the bill: “I cannot vote for this bill,” Barrasso tells Burgess in a statement. “Americans will turn to the upcoming election to end the border crisis.” Barrasso has endorsed DONALD TRUMP for president and is considered the most conservative of the “three Johns” vying to succeed McConnell. The other two — JOHN THUNE (R-S.D.) and JOHN CORNYN (R-Texas) — both said yesterday they’re undecided, even though they were both recently championing the border talks and suggesting Republicans would never get a border deal this good again, even under a President Trump. The picture in the House is hardly more encouraging. Speaker MIKE JOHNSON has already moved on and, later today, will try to move a standalone Israel aid bill under suspension, which requires a two-thirds majority for passage. Given the politics, it would be an enormously impressive feat if he managed to do that. President JOE BIDEN issued a veto threat last night because the bill excludes aid to Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific, humanitarian assistance for Palestinians, and the border reforms negotiated in the Senate. He called it a “cynical political maneuver.” House Republicans are divided, with Freedom Caucus members rebelling against the bill because this version removes the spending offsets included with a version of Israel aid passed in November. House Democrats are also divided. Only a dozen Dems voted for the November bill, but that number will grow today. It was easy to oppose the bill when it included offsets that would come out of IRS funding, which was the main objection from many pro-Israel Democrats. Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES hasn’t signaled how or whether he will instruct his caucus members to vote when they meet this morning to discuss strategy. But last night, during the Democrats’ Steering and Policy Committee meeting, members complained about two issues: (1) the lack of aid for Gaza, which is needed more than ever, and (2) the lack of outreach from GOP leadership, which knew it would need Democratic votes, but didn’t consult with Jeffries & Co. prior to the bill’s introduction on Saturday. “This was not a serious effort,” said one Dem leadership aide. The Dems’ meeting last night took place before Biden’s veto threat, which puts new pressure on Jeffries and should hold down the Dem numbers. Now every Democratic vote for the bill will also be a vote against the president. But the meeting also took place before McConnell’s border switcheroo, a development that makes things a little trickier for Jeffries today. “He would have said we need to give the Senate bill a chance,” the House Democratic lawmaker noted. “Can’t say that now.” Jeffries is very pro-Israel, and Johnson’s attempt to put him in a bind here has worked. Watch closely what Jeffries says after meeting with his members this morning. Not that any of the posturing in the House over this bill will matter: Assuming Biden’s veto threat is real, the mini-House bill is dead whether it passes the chamber today or not. Assuming Johnson means it when he says the Senate supplemental is “DOA” in the House, the kitchen-sink deal is dead whether Schumer can find 60 votes for it or not. Perhaps there’s a compromise to be had somewhere in between the two chambers’ teetering efforts. Ironically, that now seems to mean not dealing with the border, since Trump — and now legislators such as Barrasso — insist that must remain a campaign issue. So what might that look like? It might mean a scaled-down version of Biden’s original 2023 request, one that perhaps includes aid to Israel and only the military portions of aid to Ukraine, plus the assistance to Taiwan that nobody seems to have a problem with. But sit tight for now: There’s still a lot of failure theater to come first. Good Tuesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | A message from The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network: Multi-cancer early detection tests have game-changing potential in the fight against cancer. By testing for dozens of cancers - including rare forms - at their earliest stages with a simple blood test, these tests could revolutionize early cancer detection once FDA-approved and clinical benefit is shown. Congress: pass H.R. 2407 and S. 2085 to create a pathway to access to these tests in Medicare to make time for patients and their families. Learn more. | | | SPOTTED: Sen. MIKE LEE (R-Utah) “tweeting a fundraising link in the middle of” last night’s Senate GOP conference meeting about the supplemental, per Ursula. Some Republicans in the room found that shocking enough to raise with us whether it violated ethics rules against solicitation while on Capitol grounds. Lee’s office did not respond to a request for comment. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Heritage Action this morning is opposing the Senate’s supplemental appropriations package and announcing it will include Wednesday’s procedural vote on its legislative scorecard. “Only in Washington can lawmakers draft a ‘border security’ package that doesn’t secure the border—and then attach it to an ‘emergency’ funding bill that puts the interests of the American people last,” Heritage Action President KEVIN ROBERTS said in a statement. “Senators and the Biden administration can no longer camouflage the truth: They're leveraging the border crisis and the needs of our allies in Israel and Taiwan to extract more than $60 billion in additional unaccountable aid for Ukraine.” — Republicans for Ukraine is releasing a set of new ads targeting Republicans in swing states to support the Ukraine/border deal. The ads include a 60-second spot featuring real Republican voters speaking on the importance of supporting Ukraine. An additional 30-second ad featuring a testimonial by an Iowa Republican will run digitally in Florida, South Carolina, Texas, South Dakota, Wyoming, Mississippi, North Carolina, Idaho and North Dakota. Full release
| | | | A message from The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network:   Access to multi-cancer early detection tests in Medicare can make potential precious moments possible. Pass H.R. 2407 and S. 2085. Congress: Act now. | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The House will meet at 10 a.m. Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN will testify before the Financial Services committee at 10 a.m. More details. The Senate is in. 3 things to watch …
- Homeland Security Secretary ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS will be impeached by the end of the day if House GOP leaders’ plans pan out. In a final salvo yesterday, DHS lawyers sent a 38-page letter slamming the vote as “a radical and dangerous step in violation of the Constitution.” But the House Rules Committee sent two impeachment articles to the floor nonetheless, and the only confirmed Republican opponent is Rep. KEN BUCK (Colo.), though a few others are keeping mum. Johnson already reportedly has a list of impeachment managers drawn up. More from Jordain Carney
- As the House takes up the standalone Israel aid bill, Johnson is set to meet later this morning AMIR OHANA, the speaker of the Israeli Knesset. Following a midday one-on-one meeting, the pair are set to meet together with the families of hostages who were taken on Oct. 7 and remain in Hamas’ custody.
- Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE’s effort to (again) censure and (again) strip committee assignments from Rep. ILHAN OMAR (D-Minn.) appears to be on ice. There are no plans to bring up Greene’s resolution this week, a person familiar with the floor schedule tells our friends at Inside Congress, amid doubts that Omar really said the things Greene accuses her of saying.
At the White House Biden and First Lady JILL BIDEN will host a reception this evening at the White House in recognition of Black History Month. VP KAMALA HARRIS will travel to Savannah, Georgia to speak as a part of her “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour. Later the VP will speak at the White House Black History Month Reception. On the trail Nevada will hold its presidential primaries, with polls closing at 10 p.m. Eastern. Reminder: No delegates will be awarded in the Republican contest, which Trump is not participating in. Explainer from WaPo
| | | | YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS: From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | THE WHITE HOUSE
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President Joe Biden answers questions while departing the White House on Jan. 30, 2024. | Win McNamee/Getty Images | AWOL JOE? — Adam Cancryn and Jonathan Lemire examine Biden’s curious decision to stay on out of the public eye as the White House has juggled retaliatory air strikes in Iran, a South Carolina primary victory and a monthly jobs report: “The president has kept a distance from the action, not addressing the nation on the strikes, not staying in South Carolina for his win and declining to participate in the semi-traditional Super Bowl interview this coming Sunday.” “The low key approach is one the White House has adopted before, at times worrying some in his party who say it’s critical that he seize any opportunity to counter criticism that he’s too old or disengaged for the job. … But the administration insists it is by design and that the concerns miss not just how much he interacts with the public but the nuances of the job.” 2024 WATCH
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RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel's met with former President Donald Trump yesterday in Florida. | Susan Walsh/AP | A CHANGE IS GONNA COME — Just one day after Donald Trump said he expected there to be “changes” at the RNC he reportedly met with RNC Chair RONNA McDANIEL on his Mar-a-Lago estate, Alex Isenstadt reports: “After the meeting, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that McDaniel was his ‘friend,’ but said he would be calling for changes to the committee following the South Carolina GOP primary on Feb. 24.” McDaniel could leave the RNC entirely, sparking an election for a replacement, or “the Trump campaign could install a loyalist at the committee who would have substantial operational control, even with McDaniel still there.” More top reads:
- In a radio interview yesterday on "The Dan Bongino Show," Trump suggested that he would like to "immediately" debate Biden, stating "I’d like to debate him now because we should debate. We should debate for the good of the country," NBC News’ Rebecca Shabad and Emma Barnett report: “Biden responded to Trump's comments on Monday during a stop in Nevada. ‘Immediately? Well, if I were him, I’d want to debate me, too. He’s got nothing else to do,’ Biden told reporters.”
| | | | A message from The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network:   Access to multi-cancer early detection tests in Medicare can make potential precious moments possible. Pass H.R. 2407 and S. 2085. Congress: Act now. | | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently on his fifth visit to the Middle East since Oct. 7th. | Pool photo by Jonathan Ernst | MIDDLE EAST LATEST — In his fifth trip to the region since the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN met with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN yesterday to make the case yet again for a deal to end the war in Gaza, NYT’s Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Hwaida Saad and Vivian Yee and Michael Levenson report: “Speaking with the crown prince, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, Mr. Blinken ‘underscored the importance of addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza and preventing further spread of the conflict,’ the State Department said.” Still … “By Monday evening, the United States had nothing to publicly announce on a hostage and cease-fire deal. A broadcaster affiliated with Hamas, Al-Aqsa, reported on Sunday that the group was still considering the proposal, a week after it was formulated.” Elsewhere in the region … A Pentagon spokesperson told reporters yesterday that the U.S.-led strikes against Iran and Syria in retaliation for last months attack in Jordan will not be a long-term campaign, Lara Seligman reports: “‘Our goal is not to OK, game on, let’s just do this and go full-scale war against Iranian proxy groups in Iraq and Syria,’ Maj. Gen. PAT RYDER told reporters Monday .... ‘That’s not what we’re there for.’” MORE POLITICS ON THE MONEY — Jessica Piper interviews BRIAN DERRICK, the creator of a new Democratic fundraising platform, Oath, that directs small-donor dollars to races that actually need it in what “might be the start of a new, more sophisticated era in online fundraising.” More details: “Oath is partisan, but not ideological — it’s not purposely trying to boost progressives or moderates. And it has no formal backing from anywhere in the party, though professional fundraisers have quietly signaled their support. … For now, Oath is just a drop in the broader Democratic fundraising ocean: Since a soft launch last fall, it has processed more than $3 million from more than 100,000 distinct donations.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Brady PAC is announcing its first slate of endorsements for the 2024 cycle, boosting four Democrats up for reelection who have all personally experienced gun violence: VERONICA ESCOBAR (Texas), MAXWELL FROST (Fla.), STEVEN HORSFORD (Nev.) and LUCY McBATH (Ga.). TAYLOR MADE — “It's a Love Story. Why Can’t Republicans Just Say Yes?” by Joanna Weiss for POLITICO Mag: “At the start of the [TRAVIS] KELCE-[TAYLOR] SWIFT romance, many traditional news outlets interviewed experts about classic PR relationships. … But once political figures took hold of the idea, the conspiracies only grew wilder.” CONGRESS YOU BE THE JUDGE — As the disputes over campaign funding battles continue to eat up their time, Democratic senators are worried they may lose their final opportunity to confirm federal judges under Biden as they scramble to match Trump’s record on judicial nominees, Anthony Adragna and Katherine Tully-McManus report: “Republicans locked in 234 conservative-leaning jurists for lifetime appointments under Trump’s presidency, including three to the Supreme Court. Democrats would need about 60 more confirmed judges to catch up. That’s doable, but pretty tough in an election year. And Democrats know it.” TRUMP CARDS A PICTURE WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS — As Trump continues to edge closer to the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, NYT’s Jonathan Swan, Maggie Haberman and Shane Goldmacher report how the former president has used “presidential imagery” to paint of picture of himself as an incumbent: “[Trump] has used the privileges, pageantry and powers afforded to the presidency to make his rivals look insignificant. And he has infused his campaign with presidential imagery, traveling on a plane his aides call ‘Trump Force One’ and using his Secret Service motorcade and security detail as a muscular expression of pseudo-incumbency.” IT’S SETTLED — “James O'Keefe and Project Veritas settle suit over bogus voter fraud claims cited by the Trump campaign,” by NBC News’ Ryan Reilly POLICY CORNER ADVENTURES IN CYBERSPACE — The Biden administration announced a new policy yesterday that would enable them to limit visas for foreign nationals “involved in the misuse of commercial spyware,” AP’s Aamer Madhani and Frank Bajak report: “The administration’s policy will apply to people who’ve been involved in the misuse of commercial spyware to target individuals including journalists, activists, perceived dissidents, members of marginalized communities, or the family members of those who are targeted.” Related read: “Washington recruited private hackers for help. Far-right pressure is pushing them away,” by John Sakellariadis BEYOND THE BELTWAY EMPIRE STATE OF MIND — “Republicans call to remove NYC's Sanctuary City laws after an assault on cops,” by Jeff Coltin and Emily Ngo: “Conservatives have used the incident — in which a group of men kick at cops on the ground to ostensibly stop them from arresting someone — as a political rallying cry in the days before the Feb. 13 special election for New York’s 3rd Congressional District.” GOLDEN STATE UPDATE — “A pro-Israel super PAC is wading into the fierce fight for Katie Porter’s seat,” by Melanie Mason MISCELLANY PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — “Metro is likely to avoid extreme cuts. But expect higher fares,” by WaPo’s Michael Laris
| | | | CONGRESS OVERDRIVE: Since day one, POLITICO has been laser-focused on Capitol Hill, serving up the juiciest Congress coverage. Now, we’re upping our game to ensure you’re up to speed and in the know on every tasty morsel and newsy nugget from inside the Capitol Dome, around the clock. Wake up, read Playbook AM, get up to speed at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report, and fuel your nightly conversations with Inside Congress in the evening. Plus, never miss a beat with buzzy, real-time updates throughout the day via our Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | King Charles III was diagnosed with cancer. Tim Kaine is a boygenius fan. SPOTTED last night at a reception hosted by Rumble at their Capitol Hill offices to celebrate the ribbon cutting on a new content creator studio: Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Donald Trump Jr., Kimberly Guilfoyle, Devin Nunes, Chris Pavlovski, Tyler Hughes, Michael Ellis, Matt Schlapp, Mike Hahn, Rob Bluey, Kelly Sadler and Reagan Reese. MEDIA MOVE — Charlie Spiering is now a senior political reporter at The Daily Mail. He previously was a reporter at Breitbart News. TRANSITIONS — Kristina Ishmael has restarted her education consulting firm Ishmael Consulting. She most recently was deputy director of the ed tech office at the Education Department. … Chad Smith is now director of special projects at American Bridge 21st Century. He previously was deputy press secretary at DOE. ENGAGED — Shaun Kraisman, co-anchor of Newsmax’s “National Report,” and Brittany Fulcher, a cardiac nurse, recently got engaged at a French restaurant in SoHo. Brittany jokingly put a piece of napkin around her ring finger at dinner and then Shaun pulled out the actual ring. They met at a speakeasy on the Upper East Side when Brittany was with a friend who worked at a competing cable news network and they all struck up a conversation. Instapics HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) and Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) … … Indiana Dems Chair Mike Schmuhl … Fox News’ Kevin Corke … WaPo’s Jenna Johnson … GMMB’s Annie Burns … Tiffany Cross … CBS’ Fernando Suarez … Daniel Wessel of the Biden campaign … DOT’s Evan Wessel … Commerce’s Chris Slevin … Jerry Seib … Education’s Amanda Fuchs Miller … Missayr Boker … Tommy Brown … Claire Standaert … Todd Abrajano … Lloyd Grove … POLITICO’s Alina Strileckis, Julie Williams and Collins Chinyanta … Cara Castronuova … Malcom Glenn … Rebecca Cooper … Martin Pengelly … Democracy for the Arab World Now’s Raed Jarrar … Ken Lisaius … U.S. Travel Association’s Tori Barnes … Tom Brokaw … NRCC’s Sarah Wood Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton, producer Andrew Howard and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
| | A message from The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network: Cancer stops the clock for more than six hundred thousand people every year, robbing those individuals and their families of their contributions and the precious moments they could have experienced. But by supporting access to breakthroughs in cancer innovation, Congress takes an active role in the fight against our country’s second most common cause of death, literally making time for patients and their loved ones. Multi-cancer early detection tests have the potential to revolutionize early cancer detection by screening for dozens of cancers, including rare forms, with a simple blood test.
Congress: Pass H.R. 2407 and S. 2085 and create a pathway to access to these tests in Medicare once FDA-approved and clinical benefit is shown to help create time for milestones and precious moments.
Fight Cancer. Make Time. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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