| | | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun | Presented by Facebook | We told you Monday to watch four major issues this week to get a sense of whether bipartisanship is possible in today's Washington. Let's revisit how it's going so far … 1) ON INFRASTRUCTURE: REPUBLICANS COUNTER, AGAIN — "Republicans offer infrastructure counter well short of Biden vision," by Marianne LeVine: "Senate Republicans unveiled a $928 billion infrastructure counteroffer Thursday, in an effort to reach a bipartisan agreement with the White House. The proposal comes as talks are set to go past the Biden administration's unofficial deadline of Memorial Day. But the latest GOP offer only includes $257 billion in new spending, a far cry from the White House number of $1.7 trillion…" "While the counteroffer will likely prolong discussions with the White House, the Biden administration and Senate Republicans remain far apart on several issues, including the total cost, the definition of infrastructure, and how to pay for it. Senate Democrats are already scoffing at the GOP counteroffer. Sen. BOB CASEY (D-Pa.) described it as a 'non-starter' on CNN." — AND THE WHITE HOUSE SIGNALS IT'S STILL A NO-GO: White House press secretary JEN PSAKI said in a statement that there were "several constructive additions" in the GOP proposal but "we remain concerned that their plan still provides no substantial new funds for critical job-creating needs." Also, she said, the pay-fors remain unclear. More on this in a second … 2) REPUBLICANS EXPECTED TO FILIBUSTER 1/6 VOTE THIS AFTERNOON — The Senate will move to vote on the Jan. 6 commission in a few hours, just as family members of deceased Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick meet with some Senate Republicans. Will it make a difference? Probably not, but who knows? This morning, Sens. PAT TOOMEY (R-Pa.) and ROB PORTMAN (R-Ohio) said they remain undecided. But as our Burgess Everett tweeted, Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL has been whipping this "fairly hard" behind the scenes. More from Burgess and Nicholas Wu 3) ENDLESS FRONTIER ON THE ROCKS — For just under two hours now, the Senate has held open a vote to move to a massive, bipartisan tech and research bill — yes, the very bill that Senate watchers say is the single best hope for a bipartisan deal this year. McConnell and Senate Republicans in recent days have warned Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER not to block consideration of the rest of their amendments, or they'll filibuster. Schumer tried to this morning — and now he's holding open the vote as senators work to try to reach an 11th hour agreement on the side of the chamber. 4) AND SO IS POLICE REFORM — "Changes to qualified immunity in policing deal face Senate GOP resistance," CNN: "Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee are objecting to changing protections police currently enjoy from civil lawsuits, underscoring the challenges facing a trio of lawmakers who are furiously working to cut a deal that would overhaul policing in America. … "'We're already having trouble recruiting police, and police are retiring early,' Sen. JOHN CORNYN, a Texas Republican, said Wednesday in the Capitol when asked about the issue. … 'What we're talking about now is making it possible for trial lawyers and people to sue for money,' said Cornyn, a member of the Judiciary Committee and his party's leadership team. 'I haven't heard a specific proposal that I can agree with yet.'" | | A message from Facebook: The internet has changed a lot since 1996 - internet regulations should too
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– Reforming Section 230 | | | MORE ON INFRASTRUCTURE — While the White House and Senate Republicans remain far apart, both sides are signaling they're not willing to give up yet — Memorial Day deadline be damned. President JOE BIDEN said he spoke with Sen. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO (R-W.Va.) this morning and that he would meet with her and GOP negotiators next week. Biden did, however, signal that time is running out: "We're going to have to close this down soon." On the Hill, Capito said the two had a "very positive" talk this morning and that "I got clear direction from him so that was good." Read her group's full memo to Biden here AND THEN THERE'S THIS — "McConnell Says GOP Could Still Go Higher on Infrastructure Offer," Bloomberg: "'We're open to spending some more,' McConnell said on MSNBC Thursday. Asked whether the submission by a group of GOP senators earlier in the day was a final offer, he said, 'No, we're going to keep talking.'" — A cynic might look at his comments and say: McConnell is telling the White House it's on them to pull the plug because his party won't be the one walking away. BUDGET DAY — We're also getting a sneak peek at what Biden's budget will look like. The proposal — which amounts to nothing more than a wish list — is set to be released by the administration on Friday morning. — "Biden to Propose $6 Trillion Budget to Boost Middle Class and Infrastructure," NYT: "Documents obtained by The New York Times show that Mr. Biden's first budget request as president calls for the federal government to spend $6 trillion in the 2022 fiscal year, and for total spending to rise to $8.2 trillion by 2031. … The proposal shows the sweep of Mr. Biden's ambitions to wield government power to help more Americans attain the comforts of a middle-class life and to lift U.S. industry to better compete globally in an economy the administration believes will be dominated by a race to reduce energy emissions and combat climate change. "Mr. Biden's plan to fund his agenda by raising taxes on corporations and high earners would begin to shrink budget deficits in the 2030s. … Under Mr. Biden's proposal, the federal budget deficit would hit $1.8 trillion in 2022, even as the economy rebounds from the pandemic recession to grow at what the administration predicts would be its fastest annual pace since the early 1980s. It would recede slightly in the following years before growing again to nearly $1.6 trillion by 2031. Total debt held by the public would more than exceed the annual value of economic output, rising to 117 percent of the size of the economy in 2031. … "The documents suggest Mr. Biden will not propose major additional policies in the budget, or that his budget will flesh out plans that the administration has thus far declined to detail. For example, Mr. Biden pledged to overhaul and upgrade the nation's unemployment insurance program as part of the American Families Plan, but such efforts are not included in his budget." Good Thursday afternoon. Such a boring day in Washington! THE UNEMPLOYMENT PICTURE — "U.S. jobless claims fall to 406,000, a new pandemic low," AP IMMIGRATION FILES — "Harris to announce business investments in Central America," AP: "Vice President KAMALA HARRIS on Thursday will announce commitments from a dozen companies and organizations to invest in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador as part of the Biden administration's efforts to address the root causes of migration from the region. "Participants include corporate giants such as Mastercard and Microsoft as well as Pro Mujer, a nonprofit that focuses on providing aid to low-income women in Latin America, along with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the World Economic Forum. Leaders in the effort planned to Harris virtually and in person at an event later Thursday at her ceremonial office." | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TODAY: Power is shifting in Washington and in communities across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. The Recast is a twice-weekly newsletter that explores the changing power dynamics in Washington and breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics and policy in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | ABORTION POLITICS — "Biden's Silence on Abortion Rights at a Key Moment Worries Liberals," NYT: "Despite the urgency felt by much of his party, President Biden has said little about abortion publicly while in office. In fact, he hasn't said the word itself — an avoidance so noticeable that one women's health group has created a website tracking his reluctance, DidBidenSayAbortionYet.org. "Many activists fear that Mr. Biden's personal discomfort with the issue is keeping him from leading the Democratic Party into a more offensive position on abortion rights, both through more aggressive policymaking and leveraging the agenda-setting power of the presidency." — "Biden's Budget to Spotlight Battle Over Abortion Restrictions," WSJ: "President Biden's coming budget proposal will include his decision on whether to push to end a ban on using federal dollars for abortions in most cases, potentially opening a new front in the clash over access to the procedure. … "Keeping the language out of his Friday budget proposal would be welcomed by many Democrats and abortion-rights advocates, but eliminating the Hyde Amendment would face headwinds in Congress, where most Republicans are opposed." ROLLER COASTER RIDE — "Senate confirms Wormuth as first female Army secretary — for real this time," by Connor O'Brien: "The Senate on Thursday confirmed CHRISTINE WORMUTH to be the new Army secretary, making her the first woman to hold the post, following a procedural glitch that delayed her approval. "Over a roughly 12-hour span starting Wednesday night, President Joe Biden's nominee to be the Army's top civilian leader was effectively confirmed, un-confirmed and then finally confirmed for good. … It's not entirely clear why the Senate did an about-face on Wormuth Wednesday night, though a Senate Armed Services Committee aide attributed it to 'a mix-up on the floor.'" HOW BIDEN WORKS — "On Voting Rights, Biden Prefers to Negotiate. This Time, It Might Not Be Possible," NYT: "As President Biden confronts intense Republican opposition to the broad voting rights bill that Democrats have made a top priority this year, he might remember back to 1982 and an earlier partisan clash over the issue, one of a number across the years that shaped his views on deal making — and its limits. … "With little likelihood of the measure winning enough Republican support to meet the 60-vote threshold necessary for passage, Mr. Biden now faces a choice: Scale back his ambitions for addressing voting rights or abandon hopes of a bipartisan compromise and instead seek to jam it through on a partisan vote in the equally divided chamber by further rolling back one of the foundations of Senate tradition, the filibuster." PAUL RYAN'S MESSAGE TO GOP — "Paul Ryan to Call for GOP to Lessen Reliance on Trump," WSJ: "Former Republican House Speaker PAUL RYAN, in a speech Thursday evening at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California, plans to argue that the future of the GOP needs to be about more than former President DONALD TRUMP. "'Once again, we conservatives find ourselves at a crossroads,' Mr. Ryan will say, according to excerpts shared in advance. 'Here's one reality we have to face: if the conservative cause depends on the populist appeal of one personality, or on second-rate imitations, then we're not going anywhere.' … Mr. Ryan is also expected to praise some of the former president's accomplishments. He plans to say that voters are seeking GOP leaders willing to show 'independence and mettle.'" | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO WEST WING PLAYBOOK: Add West Wing Playbook to keep up with the power players, latest policy developments and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing and across the highest levels of the Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | THE TAX MAN CAME — "Trump wanted a quick tax break. His appointees are now stuck with big bills," by Brian Faler and Daniel Lippman: "Many of former President Donald Trump's political appointees got a nasty surprise when they left the government: A big tax bill. They've been ordered to immediately repay months of payroll taxes that had been deferred under a bid by Trump to boost the economy ahead of last year's elections — levies he had assured them would later be forgiven. … "It's a little-noticed addendum to Trump's much-criticized plan last summer to prime the economy. In August, he issued an executive order allowing employers to put off paying their workers' share of the 12.4 percent Social Security tax for the rest of the year. The idea was to boost consumer spending by putting more money in the pockets of millions." RACIAL RECKONING — "Deep-rooted racism, discrimination permeate U.S. military," AP: "In interviews with The Associated Press, current and former enlistees and officers in nearly every branch of the armed services described a deep-rooted culture of racism and discrimination that stubbornly festers, despite repeated efforts to eradicate it. "The AP found that the military's judicial system has no explicit category for hate crimes, making it difficult to quantify crimes motivated by prejudice. … The AP also found that the Uniform Code of Military Justice does not adequately address discriminatory incidents and that rank-and-file people of color commonly face courts-martial panels made up of all-white service members, which some experts argue can lead to harsher outcomes. And racial discrimination doesn't exist just within the military rank-and-file." WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Dan Cluchey is now senior presidential speechwriter at the White House. He was a speechwriter on the Biden campaign and for the Biden Institute and is an Obama alum. TRANSITIONS — Mela Louise Norman will be deputy COS for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. She previously was COS for Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.). Matt Hennessey will take over as COS for Slotkin. He most recently was campaign manager for Slotkin's re-election campaign and is founder and principal of Onward Strategies. … … Rachel Kelley is now associate VP of political affairs at the Mortgage Bankers Association. She previously was finance director for the Republican National Convention Host Committee in Charlotte, N.C., is founder and principal owner of Tuesday Solutions and is an NRSC alum. … Edward Hill is joining ViacomCBS as VP of government relations. He previously was VP of federal public affairs at McGuireWoods Consulting. | | | |   | | | | | | | 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 | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
