| | | |  | | By Jack Blanchard | Presented by the Coalition for Medicare Choices | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
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Good Tuesday morning. This is Jack Blanchard.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: A $25 billion plan to use private military contractors for the mass deportation of undocumented migrants was pitched to Donald Trump’s team shortly before his inauguration, POLITICO’s Dasha Burns and Myah Ward reveal this morning. The proposal is laid bare in a leaked 26-page document setting out how mass deportations could potentially be delivered through a network of “processing camps” on military bases, a private fleet of 100 planes and a “small army” of private citizens empowered to make arrests. Prince among men: The group pitching the plan is led by Erik Prince, the former CEO of Blackwater, the former military contractor notorious for its role in supporting U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan during the 2000s. Prince declined to comment, though his colleague Bill Mathews — another former Blackwater exec — said there have been no discussions or engagement with the Trump administration since the pitch was made. Needless to say … The privatization of mass deportation would be highly controversial, and likely to face multiple legal challenges. The White House stressed it receives multiple unsolicited pitches for work, and said it’s for individual agencies “to consider and sign contracts to advance their mission.” But the document makes the case that the government will be unable to deliver deportations on the scale Trump has promised — and so outside assistance is required. It’s certainly true that Trump is said to be privately frustrated at the pace of deportations thus far … so watch this space.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | 
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) holds his phone to his ear as he walks from House chamber to his office at the U.S. Capitol Feb. 24, 2025. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | MOMENT OF TRUTH: Tonight’s showdown vote on the House GOP budget plan is hanging in the balance after a tough old day for Mike Johnson on Capitol Hill. The speaker was locked in talks until late yesterday evening with holdouts from both wings of the Republican Party who remain skeptical of his outline plan for tax and spending cuts — plus border, energy and defense policy — via a single reconciliation bill. Johnson left the Capitol last night insisting a vote on his budget plan should still hit the floor of the House this evening. “I think we’re on track,” Johnson told reporters as he headed home. We shall see. Time to shine: The stakes could not be much higher for GOP leaders as they try to show President Trump they have what it takes to deliver his legislative agenda. In his whirlwind first weeks back in the White House, the president has overhauled the federal government, upended global trade norms and tossed aside decades of U.S. foreign policy — but his domestic policy wins have largely been delivered via showy and often insubstantial executive orders. Precious few will deliver where it matters most to ordinary Americans — on the economy. Trump needs his congressional leaders to start delivering on their side of the bargain. Numbers game: Assuming that every single Democrat shows up and opposes the bill, Johnson cannot afford more than one GOP “no” vote. As of this morning, three conservatives put themselves in that column: Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who sounds pretty resolute, and Reps. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) and Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), who say they are currently opposed, but still plan to talk with GOP leadership prior to the vote. That’s to say nothing of the swing-district members uneasy with the package’s potential cuts to Medicaid. Stuck in the middle with you: Johnson’s fundamental problem has not changed. He remains trapped between hardline deficit hawks on one wing of his party and nervous moderates on the other, and trying to keep both sides happy — with so little margin for error — is a Herculean task, given that concessions to one only risk enraging the other. It’s not surprising Johnson spent Monday asking for divine intervention. The hand of God? Plenty of observers had assumed that in the end, it would require not just careful whipping from House GOP leaders but the giant clunking fist of the president to force these last few Republicans into line. But so far, Trump has offered only limited help to the beleaguered Johnson. Though he again backed the House’s single-bill approach over the Senate’s twin-track plan this week, Trump has yet to really turn the screws on holdout Republicans. Indeed last night, one skeptical moderate — Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.), a former Democrat — told POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill he’d spoken to Trump to express concern about possible cuts to Medicaid … and that the two men were “aligned.” Show me the money: Medicaid cuts are one of the easiest ways for Republicans to deliver big savings, but to many moderates in swing seats — especially those with large numbers of constituents who rely on the program — it’s absolute electoral poison. (“Major political reckonings are often triggered by Americans who are fearful of losing what they once had,” POLITICO’s Rachael Bade sagely observes.) Trump seems to agree, having told Fox News last week the program would not be “touched” beyond a clampdown on fraud. Johnson is now trying to win wavering moderates by convincing them frontline Medicaid cuts are off the table, and that the whopping $880 billion in savings his budget plan promises to find via the House Energy and Commerce Committee can — somehow — be found elsewhere. Is it working? There were signs last night that Johnson’s efforts were starting to have an effect, Meredith and POLITICO colleague Ben Leonard report. After a meeting with Johnson and colleagues, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) said she was now leaning “yes” on the budget plan, having been convinced large sums can indeed be saved from Medicaid purely by clamping down on waste and fraud. If the rest of the “Medicaid moderates” start to fall into line today, Johnson will be able to switch focus to winning over the last few — famously uncompromising — GOP fiscal hawks. Good luck, as they say, with that. The end of the beginning: It’s worth bearing in mind that even if Johnson pulls off a miracle this evening and gets his whole conference behind the House GOP budget plan, it’s only the start — with the detailed work on savings yet to begin. “Everybody needs to understand that the resolution is merely the starting point for the process,” Johnson said yesterday. “There’s nothing specific about Medicaid in the resolution. The legislation comes later, so this is the important first start.” A long few months for us all lie ahead. NOW TUNE IN: Join us at 8:15 a.m. for our latest “Playbook: The First 100 Days” breakfast. With the Trump administration proposing sweeping changes to U.S. energy policy, POLITICO is bringing together key policymakers at the Hotel Washington for discussions on everything from climate change and oil and gas drilling to FERC and the rising stresses on the power grid. Among the featured speakers: Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio), and Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas). RSVP now to watch in person or online
| | | | A message from the Coalition for Medicare Choices: Protect Medicare Advantage: 34 million seniors are counting on it.
Over half of America's seniors choose Medicare Advantage because it provides them better care at lower costs than fee-for-service Medicare. With their coverage and care on the line, seniors are watching closely to see whether policymakers keep the bipartisan promise to protect Medicare Advantage by ensuring this vital part of Medicare is adequately funded.
Learn more at https://medicarechoices.org/ | | | THE MAGA REVOLUTION DOGE DAYS: Elon Musk’s midnight deadline for federal workers to justify their employment by emailing the Office of Personnel Management their five main accomplishments from the past week has passed. What’s still very much here is the sense of chaos and unrest triggered by the whole episode. The frantic final hours: On Monday afternoon, OPM emailed HR chiefs across the federal government to clarify that responding to Musk’s demand was in fact “voluntary,” and that failure to reply to it “will not be considered a resignation,” The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch reports. Trump, however, told reporters that Musk’s email was “great, because we have people that don’t show up to work, and nobody even knows if they work for the government,” per the WSJ. Hours later, despite the OPM update, Musk renewed his demand, POLITICO’s Seb Starcevic reports, posting on X that federal workers “will be given another chance” to justify their work and that failure “to respond a second time will result in termination.” So that’s clear as mud, then. The big picture: As Playbook noted yesterday, this bizarre (and frankly unnecessary) episode has rather backfired on Musk, revealing the first limits on his previously unmatched reach across government. Tellingly, the pushback largely came from Trump’s own cabinet appointees rather than the so-called “deep state.” “The internal resistance to his message suggests there is at least some willingness among cabinet members to define his role by saying what he can’t do,” NYT’s Jess Bidgood reports. Throwing some shade: Most strikingly, HHS staff received an email saying there “is no HHS expectation” that staff should respond to Musk’s note, and warning that those who did reply should “assume that what you write will be read by malign foreign actors,” WaPo’s Dan Diamond reports. Oof.
| | | | A message from the Coalition for Medicare Choices:  
| | | More DOGE bites … Who’s in charge here?: For nearly three hours yesterday, federal district Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly heard arguments in a suit over DOGE’s access to Treasury’s sensitive systems. While Kollar-Kotelly “did not issue a ruling on the spot … she repeatedly expressed reservations about the Justice Department not having answers to questions about who oversaw the U.S. DOGE Service,” POLITICO’s Michael Stratford reports. Kollar-Kotelly also noted she had “concerns” DOGE operations were unconstitutional. From the special counsel: Embattled federal watchdog Hampton Dellinger recommended halting the Trump administration’s termination of six of the thousands of probationary workers across the federal government, POLITICO’s Ben Johansen reports. Dellinger, who’s mired in his own battle to keep his job as special counsel, said the firings were “apparent violation[s] of federal personnel laws,” and “should be paused for 45 days while his office investigates,” Ben writes. Dellinger also “said he is looking at ways to help” other recently fired federal workers. Moderate unease on the Hill: Moderate Republicans are stepping up their critiques of Musk and his DOGE allies, with Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and John Curtis (R-Utah), and Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) leading the charge, WaPo’s Aaron Blake reports: “They’ve used words such as ‘embarrassing,’ ‘cruel,’ ‘absurd,’ ‘extortion’ and ‘trauma’ while crying foul over what Trump and Elon Musk are doing to the federal government.” The mounting opposition on the Hill comes after GOP lawmakers have faced angry constituents at town halls in their districts last week. Case in point: Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) told NBC News’ Melanie Zanona that constituents in his district are not interested in fighting against budget cuts, but “It’s just that they don’t like Elon.” And Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) says he plans to urge Musk “to show more compassion,” around the job cuts, Zanona reports: “McCormick also wants to use a meeting at White House to ‘bend’ Trump’s ear on the issue.” Related read: “Elon Musk’s Slash-and-Burn Tactics Are Beginning to Unnerve Republicans,” by NOTUS’ Ursula Perano and Ben T.N. Mause GETTIN’ THE HELL OUT OF DOGE: “Ramaswamy kicks off Ohio run for governor, doesn’t mention DOGE,” by POLITICO’s Adam Wren: “[Vivek] Ramaswamy’s DOGE omission was telling: His gubernatorial campaign is one of the first to launch in the second Trump administration ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, making it an indicator of what may play well … And in skipping DOGE, Ramaswamy tacitly acknowledged at least some degree of political peril in the cost-cutting program, particularly in a state like Ohio.”
| | | | As demands on the U.S. energy grid continue to rise, join POLITICO on Tuesday, February 25 at Hotel Washington for a discussion on the future of energy policy with Sen. John Hickenlooper, Rep. Bob Latta, and Rep. Randy Weber. RSVP today to attend in-person or virtually. | | | | | BEST OF THE REST UKRAINE FALLOUT: Vladimir Putin last night used a TV interview marking the third anniversary of his invasion of Ukraine to offer American companies the chance to exploit mineral wealth in territory he illegally seized. In the latest sign of how Trump’s return has transformed relations with Moscow, Putin said he was “ready to work with our foreign partners, including the Americans,” on mining rare earth deposits in Russia and Russian-occupied Ukraine. America could “make good money” investing in mining in Siberia, he added. “The interview showed Mr. Putin working hard to appeal to Mr. Trump’s interest in profits and deal-making,” the NYT’s Anton Troianovski reports. What a world. So this is where we are now? The interview came at the end of another dramatic day of diplomacy which saw the U.S. side with Russia and China, and against Europe, in a United Nations vote on Ukraine. The U.S.-backed motion agreed by the U.N. failed to criticize Russian aggression for the three-year conflict. And as POLITICO’s Clea Caulcutt notes in her writeup of Trump’s meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday, Trump delivered only platitudes to his European ally, still refusing to condemn Putin as a dictator. Expect more of the same when British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives for talks on Thursday. WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE: “Trump indicates Canada, Mexico tariffs will take effect next week,” by POLITICO’s Doug Palmer: “With the new deadline looming on March 4, Trump was asked by a reporter on Monday whether either Canada or Mexico had done enough to stop the duties from going into effect. ‘We’re on time with the tariffs, and it seems like that’s moving along very rapidly,’ Trump responded.” CONFIRMATION WATCH: Between the tariffs, the struggle over the war in Europe and the all-consuming Elon Musk show, it’s easy to forget there are still prominent Trump nominees awaiting Senate confirmation.
- The Senate will vote to confirm Daniel Driscoll as secretary of the Army today at 11:15 a.m.
- Former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s (R-Ore.) nomination to lead the Labor Department could be in real trouble if Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) decides to oppose her. Semafor’s Burgess Everett reports that Paul is hoping to speak with Chavez-DeRemer again about her past support of the PRO Act: “Paul’s vote could be decisive if all Democrats oppose her on [the] HELP Committee this week.”
- Rep. Elise Stefanik’s (R-N.Y.) confirmation vote to be ambassador to the United Nations has been sidelined for now, as Speaker Johnson needs every Republican vote he can muster to get the House GOP’s budget plan passed, NYT’s Annie Karni reports.
| | | | A message from the Coalition for Medicare Choices:  
| | | YOU PICKED WHO? WaPo’s Perry Stein and colleagues take a look at what Dan Bongino’s appointment as FBI deputy director could mean for the agency. … Meanwhile, several of Trump’s newly-sworn in cabinet are now actively distancing themselves from some of the more sweeping promises of reform they made to assuage the commander-in-chief before their confirmations, AP’s Meg Kinnard reports. GLOAT MODE: The White House has been preparing special “victory” banners to troll the Associated Press and broader media at today’s 1 p.m. briefing with press secretary Karoline Leavitt. It follows a court ruling yesterday by Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, who declined to restore the AP’s place in the White House press pool after a lengthy hearing. However, McFadden “signaled that the White House might lose the case at a later stage after both sides present further arguments and evidence,” POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney report. From the top: Court documents showed that Trump was personally behind the decision to ban the wire service from a series of White House events, Kyle reports. The decision to grant outlets “‘special access’ is a ‘quintessentially discretionary presidential choice,’ government lawyers wrote.” McFadden has set another hearing date for March 20, asking both parties to provide more information about the specifics on the ban. Related read: “Paramount and Trump Seek Mediator for CBS News Lawsuit,” by NYT’s Lauren Hirsch and Benjamin Mullin WATCH THIS SPACE: “Cory Mills refutes allegations of assault,” by POLITICO’s Hailey Fuchs: “Rep. Cory Mills [(R-Fla.)] continues to push back against allegations he assaulted a woman last week. Mills emphasized that both he and the alleged victim — who POLITICO is declining to name as a possible target of domestic violence — denied that any assault took place.” Related tweet: This post from NBC4 Washington, suggesting Trump’s U.S. Attorney in Washington is refusing to sign an arrest warrant against the Republican congressman, spread far and wide on X last night. MORE FLORIDA NEWS: “Trump just blew up Ron DeSantis’ succession plans,” by POLITICO’s Gary Fineout and Kimberly Leonard: “DeSantis, who has arguably risen to become the most powerful governor in Florida history, may leave office without an anointed heir dedicated to preserving DeSantis’ efforts in a wide array of legislative and policy battles.”
| | | | Donald Trump's unprecedented effort to reshape the federal government is consuming Washington. To track this seismic shift, we're relaunching one of our signature newsletters. Sign up to get West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government in your inbox. | | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | Tina Smith clapped back at Fox Business after being mistaken for Tammy Baldwin. Elon Musk’s nonprofit used a picture of the wrong Susan Crawford in an ad it’s since taken down in Wisconsin’s giant court race. Dan Crenshaw got caught apparently threatening Tucker Carlson in a hot mic moment. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) will join Vox’s Kara Swisher at South by Southwest in Austin on March 8 for a live-taping of “On with Kara Swisher.” Swisher and Warren will discuss the political future of the Democratic Party, DOGE, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the “tech bro government takeover.” The interview is a part of Vox Media's official podcast stage at SXSW. Full lineup FOR YOUR RADAR — FOX News’ Harris Faulkner was honored at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Sunday night as the first ever recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence and Lifetime Achievement yesterday. During the ceremony, Louisiana state Sen. Regina Barrow named February 23 “Harris Faulkner Day.” IN MEMORIAM — “Clint Hill, Secret Service agent who leaped onto JFK's car after the president was shot, dies at 93,” by AP’s Jack Dura: “Although few may recognize his name, the footage of Hill, captured on Abraham Zapruder’s chilling home movie of the assassination, provided some of the most indelible images of Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. … Hill received Secret Service awards and was promoted for his actions that day, but for decades blamed himself for Kennedy’s death, saying he didn’t react quickly enough and would gladly have given his life to save the president. … It was only in recent years that Hill said he was able to finally start putting the assassination behind him and accept what happened. … Hill later became the agent in charge of the White House protective detail and eventually an assistant director of the Secret Service.” OUT AND ABOUT — Defend The Vote Action Fund hosted a meet and greet for Reps. April McClain Delaney (D-Md.) and Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.). Speakers discussed how the current attacks on our democracy are hurting families. Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.) said that the most important title each of us carries is the title of citizen. SPOTTED: Demetria McCain, Tiernan Sittenfeld, Grant Herring, Brian Lemek, Anne MacMillan, David Burns, Kirstin Dunham, Laura Williamson and Kelsey Odom. — SPOTTED in Longworth HOB at the American Sugar Alliance’s “Keep it Sweet in America” reception: Reps. Brandon Gill (R-Texas), Michelle Fischbach (R-M inn.), Herb Conaway (D-N.J.) and Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), Nick Lunneborg, Andrew Leppert, Tim Svoboda, Connor McNutt, Trevor White, Clark Ogilvie, J.T. Jezierski, Ken Clifford and Thomas Liepold. — SPOTTED yesterday at the American Clean Power Association’s “Happy Power" reception kicking off their annual congressional fly-in: Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), Andrew Mills, Stephen Perkins, Karly Matthews, Lily Long, Emily Domenech, Heather Reams, Noah Yantis, Shoshana Weissmann, Neil Auerbach, Taylor Childress and Jake Kincer. TRANSITIONS — Corey Jacobson will be director of strategy and policy at K2 Space. He was previously chief of staff of the Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital and is a Henry Waxman and Ted Lieu alum. Jacobson follows John Plumb, the former assistant secretary of Defense for space policy, who joined K2 last month as head of strategy. … Mellissa Campbell Duru is now a partner in Gibson Dunn’s securities regulation and corporate governance practice group. She previously was deputy director of legal regulatory policy in the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance. … Democracy Forward is adding Melissa Schwartz as chief public affairs and policy officer, Michael Waldman as director of legal partnerships and senior counsel, Kali Schellenberg as senior counsel, Marcus Smith as talent acquisition and training manager and Jennifer Connolly and Joel McElvain as senior legal advisers. … Emily Hershman is now senior director for partnerships and external affairs at Reading Assist. She previously was comms director for Gov. John Carney (D-Del.). WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Katie Rogers, a White House correspondent for the NYT, and John Chinoransky, a global technology analyst for Latham & Watkins, recently welcomed Holly. She joins big sister Lily. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.) … Mini Timmaraju … NBC’s Matt Dixon … Mona Charen … Bridgett Frey … Tom Nides … Tim Berry … Dan Riordan … NFL’s Jonathan Nabavi … Valerie Chicola … Anna Albert … The Guardian’s Joseph Gedeon … Charles Faulkner … Tyler Houlton … Greg Crist … former Reps. Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.) (7-0), Bill Flores (R-Texas) and Suzanne Kosmas (D-Fla.) … Gina Kolata … Bob Schieffer (88) … CNN’s Hadas Gold … Jack Burns … Andrew Burk 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 deputy editor Zack Stanton and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath. Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook misstated which House member had indicated he was a “no” vote on Speaker Mike Johnson’s budget plan. It was Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).
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