| | | |  | | By Eli Okun | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | 
Senate Majority Leader John Thune held firm in saying that he wouldn’t overrule the parliamentarian. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | RECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES: Senate Republicans have some significant scrambling ahead on their budget reconciliation megabill, with new parliamentarian guidance raising fresh questions about how quickly the GOP can pass it. Elizabeth MacDonough’s curveball: Hundreds of billions of dollars in pay-fors were knocked out by the parliamentarian’s latest advisory decisions, most prominently Republicans’ crackdown on the state provider tax loophole, POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill and colleagues report. MacDonough also said an effort to restrict undocumented immigrants from getting Medicaid ran afoul of reconciliation rules. Without those cuts, Senate Republicans have significantly reduced savings, and they could face a more difficult path to getting 50 votes. Nonetheless, senators plan to revise their provider tax provision so it can pass muster. The parliamentarian also ruled out an Obamacare payment change for plans that cover abortion. Parl snarl: The parliamentarian’s setback for the megabill left some House conservatives seething and calling for senators to fire her. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) went there, and even Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), not usually a flamethrower, posted: “We will not let an unelected Senate staffer stop us from passing @POTUS #BBB.” But Senate Majority Leader John Thune held firm in saying that he wouldn’t overrule the nonpartisan scorekeeper, he told POLITICO’s Jordain Carney and Benjamin Guggenheim. Many Republicans are wary of setting a norm-busting precedent that Democrats could use in the future. (Read NOTUS’ Taylor Giorno on MacDonough as one of the few people on the Hill who doesn’t meet with lobbyists.) The timing: Some Republicans see the latest blow on Medicaid cuts as a delay, not the end of the conversation. It could postpone Thune’s hopes of starting to vote on the bill by tomorrow, but he’s still holding on to the goal of passage by July 4 (which is coming quickly). “These are speed bumps along the way,” Thune said, per Punchbowl’s Max Cohen. “We anticipated those and so we have contingency plans.” More jostling to watch: If Republicans’ savings from Medicaid cuts are diminished, the bill could become even harder to swallow for fiscal hawks already fuming about its deficit impact. The Senate’s costly changes have House Freedom Caucus members warning that they may not be able to support the bill, WaPo’s Jacob Bogage and colleagues report. Of course, they’ve largely folded before. And even Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), one of two House GOP “no” votes, tells Semafor’s Eleanor Mueller he could be persuaded to flip to yes. Meanwhile, the campaign to jettison a ban on states regulating AI continues with a WaPo op-ed from Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who calls it “the antithesis of what our founders envisioned.” The impact: Slashing the social safety net with Medicaid and food aid cuts is a major political gamble for Republicans, whose voters increasingly depend on them, NYT’s Jason DeParle writes. Enrollment in those programs has doubled over the past generation. Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
| | | | A message from AHIP: Outdated manual processes, such as faxes, are holding back the health care system, adding costs and complexity, and causing frustration for patients. As part of health plans' new series of voluntary actions to support patients and providers, we are committing to real-time responses when routine coverage requests are submitted electronically. Let's work together to modernize the system. Learn more. | | | | | | 7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | 1. VAX NOT: “Kennedy’s New Advisers Rescind Recommendations for Some Flu Vaccines,” by NYT’s Apoorva Mandavilli: “Vaccine advisers recently appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voted on Thursday to stop recommending flu vaccines containing thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used to prevent bacterial contamination, to children and pregnant women. Dozens of studies have shown thimerosal to be harmless, and it has not been a component of most childhood shots since 2001. Yet Mr. Kennedy and other critics have long insisted that the preservative might be linked to rising rates of autism. … “[S]ome panelists questioned the safety of other products already approved by the Food and Drug Administration and thoroughly vetted by independent experts. Others seemed unaware of even basic information about the Vaccines for Children program.” 2. WAR REPORT: All senators are due to get briefed at 2 p.m. on the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine and CIA Director John Ratcliffe will be there, per Fox News’ Chad Pergram. As the administration threatens to limit sharing classified intelligence with Congress over allegations that the Hill leaked info to the press, Speaker Mike Johnson fell in line with Trump this morning. The latest info: Hegseth and Caine broke down new details of how the operation was conducted at a news conference this morning, but they stayed away from providing fresh information about how much the attacks had damaged Iran’s progress toward a nuclear bomb. Caine highlighted the troops who carried out the mission and revealed that the U.S. has been making plans to attack the Fordo facility since 2009. He said he hadn’t felt — and wouldn’t abide — political pressure to make the strike sound better than it was, POLITICO’s Joe Gould and Connor O’Brien report. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said today that U.S. attacks rendered Fordo centrifuges “no longer operational,” per the NYT. The attack dog: Hegseth continued to go after the news media for having reported on a preliminary intelligence report that said Iran’s program had been set back only months, alleging without evidence that reporters wanted the strikes to be unsuccessful because they dislike Trump. He also singled out and insulted his former Fox News colleague Jennifer Griffin, who parried back that she’d been “the first to describe the B-2 bombers, the refueling, the entire mission, with great accuracy.” Contrary to what some experts have assessed and Iranian sources have claimed, Hegseth also said he hadn’t seen any intelligence that Iran had moved enriched uranium. More from Reuters But but but: European preliminary intelligence assessments suggest that Iran’s highly enriched uranium “remains largely intact” and had been moved out of Fordo “to various other locations” ahead of time, FT’s Henry Foy and Andrew England report. At the same time, U.S. efforts are ongoing to get Iran back to the negotiating table — with potential proposals including a civilian nuclear energy program, sanctions relief and more, CNN’s Zachary Cohen and colleagues report. The view from Tehran: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei released a video message claiming that the U.S. had “gained no achievements” from the attacks, per Bloomberg. The step back: “DOGE-driven cuts could weaken administration’s ability to handle Iran conflict,” by CNN’s Jeremy Herb and colleagues 3. SCOTUS WATCH: The Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority today green-lit state efforts to block Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, ruling that patients can’t sue to be able to choose their health care provider, NBC’s Lawrence Hurley reports. The 6-3 decision could give a boost to conservative legislation that targets money for nonabortion-related health care at Planned Parenthood. (There’s already a prohibition on using federal funding for abortion.) That would limit health care options for low-income people. Justice Neil Gorsuch’s opinion said the law doesn’t allow such individual lawsuits, while a sharp dissent from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said the majority had undercut civil rights law. Sprint to the finish line: Chief Justice John Roberts said tomorrow will be the final day of opinions this term — which means we could be in for half a dozen opinions, including major rulings on birthright citizenship/nationwide injunctions, Louisiana redistricting and the Affordable Care Act. Of course, the shadow docket can strike at any time. And with the Trump administration’s emergency request still pending to get sign-off for mass layoffs across the federal government, the State Department could start firing hundreds as early as tomorrow, CBS’ Camilla Schick and colleagues report. 10 years later: A decade after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in Obergefell v. Hodges, the number of married same-sex couples has roughly doubled to an estimated 820,000 to 930,000, WaPo’s Casey Parks reports. And though the institution has quickly “become ingrained in everyday American life,” advocates see reason to worry now, NYT’s Adam Nagourney and Jeremy Peters report.
| | | | Did you know Playbook goes beyond the newsletter—with powerhouse new co-hosts at the mic? Tune in to The Playbook Podcast every weekday for exclusive intel and sharp analysis on Trump’s Washington, straight from Jack Blanchard and Dasha Burns. Start listening now. | | | | | 4. BY THE NUMBERS: U.S. first-quarter GDP shrank even further than was previously reported, according to newly revised data out today that shows the economy contracted 0.5 percent, per CNN. And that wasn’t only due to tariff shocks: Consumer spending on services also came in much lower than before. Meanwhile, the number of continuing unemployment claims jumped to the highest level since 2021. But other economic indicators had contradictory good news: business investments surged in the wake of lower China tariffs. 5. TRADING PLACES: Despite agreeing to approve more rare-earth exports to the U.S., China is dragging its feet on actually making it happen two weeks later, WSJ’s Jon Emont scooped. That means desperate shortages for Western companies are still ongoing, highlighting Beijing’s significant export-control leverage here and raising the prospect of undermining the U.S.-China pact. Across the pond: In trade talks with Europe, U.S. officials have pressured EU counterparts to limit their landmark climate regulations at the behest of American oil executives, WSJ’s Collin Eaton scooped. European officials have publicly said the sovereignty of their rulemaking process is not up for debate in trade negotiations. 6. FOR YOUR RADAR: “DOJ coordinated with Texas AG to kill Texas Dream Act, Trump official says,” by NBC’s Ryan Reilly: “On June 4, the Justice Department sued Texas over the Texas Dream Act, then quickly filed a joint motion with Texas asking a judge to declare the law unconstitutional and permanently enjoin Texas from enforcing the law. The same day, the judge did. Outside organizations sought to invalidate the ruling Tuesday, arguing that the Justice Department and [Texas AG Ken] Paxton’s office ‘colluded to secure an agreed injunction’ … Speaking at the Republican Attorneys General Association a day after the quick court victory, Deputy Associate Attorney General Abhishek Kambli seemed to confirm that.” 7. 2026 WATCH: Johnson handed out $6.5 million in transfers to nearly two dozen House Republicans this week, per Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman. Meanwhile, the primary threats to Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) are heating up as AIPAC actively works to recruit challengers, the Daily Caller’s Ashley Brasfield scooped. And another (pro-Paxton) poll finds him way ahead of Cornyn in the Texas GOP Senate primary, per POLITICO’s Ben Jacobs. Breaking down 2024: A major new data dive from the Pew Research Center’s Hannah Hartig and colleagues shows that Trump won by making major inroads with minority voters, losing Hispanics by just 3 points and nearly doubling his share of Black support to 15 percent. Kamala Harris won naturalized citizens by only 4 points. Trump especially benefited from turnout changes, as his 2020 voters showed up more than Joe Biden’s, and people who hadn’t voted in 2020 backed Trump. Notably, people who didn’t vote in November say they would have picked Trump by a 4-point margin. As NYT’s Nate Cohn writes, the big problem for Harris wasn’t really turnout: “Young, nonwhite and irregular voters defected by the millions to Mr. Trump.”
| | | | A message from AHIP: Health plans play a critical role in advocating for affordability and ensuring patient care follows clinical guidelines. At the same time, we understand patients are often frustrated when their doctors' recommendations are not promptly approved following prior authorization review. Health plans also recognize providers are frustrated by administrative burdens that take time away from caring for patients. We embrace our responsibility to help make health care work better for everyone.
That's why health plans are making a series of voluntary commitments to improve prior authorization for patients and providers. As these commitments take effect, patients will have faster access to evidence-based care and fewer challenges navigating the health system. Providers will have streamlined workflows and reduced administrative burdens. Learn more. | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | IN MEMORIAM — “Pat Williams, Montana’s longest consecutive-serving U.S. Rep., has died,” by KTVH’s John Riley: “Williams, a Democrat, served 18 years in Congress … While in Congress, Williams pushed for public lands protections, advocated for benefits for working-class families, and championed federal arts funding, among other efforts. Williams has been credited as playing a key role in saving the National Endowment for the Arts. Williams sponsored the Children with Disabilities Act of 1987.” OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the opening last night of Oro Nami, D.C.’s only kosher sushi restaurant/bar: owner Harrison Furman, Deborah Lipstadt, Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, Julie Strauss Levin, Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Eli Shemtov, Gabby Deutch, Yitz Tendler, Sam Markstein, David Stone, Nick LaRotonda, Yudi Steiner, and Tzemach and Hindy Lerman. — SPOTTED at a Capitol reception last night for the launch of a new, bipartisan Recommerce Caucus, co-chaired by Reps. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.): Rep. Brian Jack (R-Ga.), Chris Lamond, Jeff Freeland, Angela Hooks, Tim Carey, Ashley Shillingsburg, Cathy Foster, Earnestine Dawson, Kevin Rodgers, Anthony Raisley, Gabrielle Howard, Lauren Mills, Vivian Vassar, Daniel Trujillo, Sarah Roberts, Jason Rosenstock, Rachel Kibbe, Noah Marine, Cedric Grant, Joe Orlando and Kelly Montgomery. — SPOTTED at the Hispanic Lobbyists Association and GOP Latino Staff Association happy hour last night, hosted by Diego Zambrano: Ivelisse Porroa-García, Osiris Morel, Maria Luisa Boyce, Jonathan Martinez, Art Motta, Patrick Herrera, Cristian Figueredo, Sasha Torrealba, Gianmarco Herrera, Vanessa Scott, Cruz Perez, Jeyben Castro, Emily Benavides, Keith Fernandez, Jackie Olvera, Moyer McCoy, Kelly Lungren McCollum and Cam Henderson. TRANSITIONS — Jessica Adair Brinich is now senior legislative and policy counsel at the Strategic Organizing Center. She previously was attorney-adviser for the Army’s Office of General Counsel in the Biden administration. … Jack Ruddy is joining AxAdvocacy as SVP of government relations. He most recently was staff director for House Transportation Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.). … Jason Rzepka will be senior director at Rally. He most recently was president and founder of Writ Large, and is an MTV and Everytown for Gun Safety alum. … … Lindsey Specht is now of counsel at Dickinson Wright. She most recently was a senior attorney for Stand Together and Americans for Prosperity, and is an FEC alum. … Luke Frans is joining Plus Communications as a managing director. He previously was a senior director at Purple Strategies. … Eloise Denker is now a research associate at Ervin Graves Strategy Group. BONUS BIRTHDAY: James Paolella of Sen. Bill Cassidy’s office (R-La.) Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Zack Stanton, deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
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