| | | |  | | By Eli Okun | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | BIG IMMIGRATION NEWS: The Trump administration today will tell hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who immigrated here legally under humanitarian parole that their legal status is being terminated, CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez scooped. That will leave them vulnerable to deportation, after the Supreme Court green-lit the policy for now. … But the administration seems to have paused its plans to begin mass transfers of detained immigrants to Guantanamo Bay, POLITICO’s Myah Ward and Nahal Toosi report.
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Speaker Mike Johnson is trying to keep the train on the tracks for both the reconciliation megabill and today's rescissions vote. | AP | RECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES: Republicans have averted one small blow-up on the Hill — Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is invited to today’s White House congressional picnic after all. President Donald Trump announced it, and Paul posted a photo of his grandson in a MAGA hat (though Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said he too had his tickets withheld). But much more challenging clashes still loom for both the reconciliation megabill and today’s House vote on rescissions. Miller time: White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller met with Senate Republicans today to advocate for border/immigration enforcement funding in the reconciliation bill, per ABC’s Allison Pecorin. But things got tense between Miller and deficit hawks who want to pare back spending, including what sources tell Punchbowl’s Andrew Desiderio was a “shouting match” with Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) on the budget math. Axios’ Stef Kight reports that Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) was peeved at Miller, while an absent Paul loomed large. Kicking the can down the road: A decision on the state and local tax deduction number won’t be included in the Senate Finance bill text yet, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told Semafor’s Burgess Everett. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) told reporters he’s working with House members to try to land a SALT deal. “I hope they modify it in a very small way,” Speaker Mike Johnson said, holding up prayer hands. By the numbers: The latest CBO report offers a neat encapsulation of the messaging wars likely to come between Democrats and Republicans on the bill. The analysis finds that the reconciliation package — including tax cuts, Medicaid cuts and SNAP cuts — would bolster the average American household’s resources from 2026 to 2034. But it would increase inequality, hurting low-income families’ resources while benefiting the middle class and wealthy. Specifically, the nonpartisan scorekeeper says low-income households would suffer a $1,600 annual hit on average, middle-income households would gain $500 to $1,000, and high-income households would romp with a whopping $12,000 boost, per POLITICO’s Jennifer Scholtes. WHAT TO WATCH TODAY: The House is barreling toward a 3 p.m. vote on enshrining Department of Government Efficiency cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting, with the outcome potentially still up in the air. Johnson said he feels confident Republicans have the votes to claw back $9 billion in funding. But POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill reports that it’s not a done deal yet: Leadership hasn’t been able to flip seven GOP holdouts, and they “may have to rely on Dem absences.” At stake: The consequences of this vote are enormous. Republicans see it as a way to start institutionalizing DOGE cuts and ax spending for organizations they dislike. But decimating funding for PEPFAR could threaten HIV treatment and prevention programs that have saved 25 million lives in 22 years, even as the White House claims it’ll keep lifesaving work going. Humanitarian groups say the future of foreign aid looks very bleak, though the Senate may try to scale back some of the cuts, NOTUS’ Helen Huiskes reports. Meanwhile, cuts to PBS and NPR have public media stations, especially in rural areas, fearing they may not survive, POLITICO’s Aaron Pellish reports. Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
| | | | | A message from PhRMA: Foreign-first pricing is a bad deal for American patients.
To lower prescription drug prices in America, let's address the real reasons Americans pay more. The U.S. is the only country that lets PBMs and 340B hospital markups drive up medicine prices for patients, while other countries refuse to pay their fair share for American innovation. It's time to crack down on the middlemen and end the free riding. Learn more. | | | | | | | | | 8 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | 1. CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS WATCH: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth today refused to confirm that the administration would comply with a potential court ruling barring the deployment of Marines to support ICE operations in Los Angeles, POLITICO’s Joe Gould reports. He deflected lawmakers’ questions and said only that “we should not have local judges determining foreign policy or national security policy.” The California clash: Ahead of this afternoon’s court hearing, California Gov. Gavin Newsom continued to go after Trump for deploying troops to anti-ICE protests. On NYT’s “The Daily,” Newsom outright questioned the president’s mental acuity after Trump claimed he talked to the governor Monday: “Maybe he actually believed he said those things, and he’s not all there. I mean that.” But he also distanced himself from sanctuary policies and said he’d work with ICE. Indeed, many Democrats are hoping to refocus the political conversation here away from immigration policy and onto Trump pushing the legal limits of his power, POLITICO’s Dustin Gardiner and Natalie Fertig report from San Francisco. Behind the escalation: Before the LA situation, there was a monthslong history of planning within the administration to use the military more to support domestic immigration enforcement, CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez and Natasha Bertrand report. And on the flip side, far-left groups that advocate for violence have encouraged agitators to escalate beyond peaceful protests, especially at night — part of a pattern from other cities in recent years, NBC’s Rich Schapiro and Andrew Blankstein report. Wait, what? Apparently having heard from farming and hospitality advocates, Trump posted on Truth Social today to indicate that he doesn’t want aggressive deportations to target their workforce. That message may not have gotten through to his vast immigration enforcement apparatus: Border czar Tom Homan told Semafor’s Ben Smith that coming soon, “worksite enforcement operations are going to massively expand.” The other military hubbub: The latest AP/NORC poll shows Americans have mixed feelings about Trump’s military parade on his birthday this Saturday. The median opinion seems to be something like: Seems fine, but wish we weren’t spending money on it. U.S. adults overall say they approve of the parade, 40 percent to 31 percent, but don’t think it’s a good use of government funds, 60 percent to 38 percent. 2. PAGING NUUK: “I just want to help you out, because people try to twist your words,” Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said to Hegseth on the Hill today. “You are not confirming in your testimony today that at the Pentagon, there are plans for invading or taking by force Greenland, correct?” But Hegseth wouldn’t go there: “The Pentagon has plans for any number of contingencies,” he said. “We look forward to working with Greenland to ensure that it is secured from any potential threats.” 3. MIDDLE EAST LATEST: Top Israeli officials are expected to travel tomorrow to meet with special envoy Steve Witkoff, POLITICO’s Nahal Toosi reports. That will be an opportunity for Jerusalem to clarify what its plans are toward Iran, amid a flurry of reports that U.S. officials expect an Israeli attack on Iran could be imminent. “I don’t want to say imminent, but it is something that could very well happen,” Trump said of a potential Israeli strike. But Witkoff has warned senators that Iran’s response might be a mass casualty event in Israel, Axios’ Barak Ravid scooped.
| | | | Playbook, the unofficial guide to official Washington, isn’t just a newsletter — it’s a podcast, too. With new co-hosts who bring unmatched Trump world reporting and analysis, The Playbook Podcast dives deeper into the power plays shaping Washington. Get the insider edge—start listening now. | | | | | 4. MAN OF STEEL: “Trump Says US Government Will Get ‘Golden Share’ in US Steel,” by Bloomberg’s Josh Wingrove and Mario Parker: “Trump’s comment was the first public confirmation by the administration that it was seeking a golden share. The White House has not yet spelled out what that would mean, including — as is typically the case — whether that would include an equity stake.” 5. TRADING PLACES: Trade talks between the U.S. and India have hit some speed bumps as both sides dig in on crucial demands, including whether New Delhi will allow genetically modified crops in, Bloomberg’s Shruti Srivastava reports. Meanwhile, despite Trump touting the latest framework agreement with China this week, Beijing is very much playing the long game and learning how to stall the U.S. repeatedly, NYT’s David Pierson and Berry Wang report. “While Trump seeks quick deals done directly with top leaders, [Chinese President Xi Jinping] favors a framework led by his lieutenants that wards against being blindsided,” Bloomberg writes. “Such haggling could drag on for years.” 6. WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE: Despite Trump’s alliance with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, ProPublica’s T. Christian Miller and Sebastian Rotella reveal that San Salvador impeded a yearslong U.S. investigation into whether its government had quietly struck a deal with MS-13. Bukele allies have also refused to extradite gang members to the U.S. who could have been witnesses. At the same time, Bukele’s growing relationship with Trump has emboldened what experts say is a growing authoritarian crackdown on dissent at home, AP’s Megan Janetsky and Marcos Alemán report. Longtime Bukele opponents say there’s been “an inflection point” in recent weeks, as the U.S. Embassy hasn’t said anything. 7. LOOK WHO’S BACK: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is hitting the road again with his record-breaking “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, which has rejuvenated progressives deep into red territory. His stops next weekend will take a similar approach, from the Rio Grande Valley to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Johnson’s hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana. 8. BUYER’S REMORSE: “Trump’s travel ban fuels despair and disgust with politics among Arab Americans in Michigan,” by AP’s Isabella Volmert in Dearborn: “It came as a particular shock to many Yemeni Americans … While it may not elicit the same protests as 2017, many Yemeni and Arab Americans in the all important battleground state see it as yet another offense contributing to enormous dissatisfaction with both major political parties.”
| | | | A message from PhRMA:  
| | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | Winsome Earle-Sears’ old Google/Yelp reviews for her business show that she often got into it with displeased customers. Abraham Lincoln-signed copies of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment are going up for auction, potentially fetching several million dollars. Noah Wyle was on the Hill today to advocate for mental health care for health care workers. PLAYBOOK REAL ESTATE SECTION — “This D.C. real estate agent is closing huge deals with Trump-world elite,” by Axios’ Mimi Montgomery: “Over the years, [Daniel] Heider, 38, has become known in Washington for selling ginormous, ultra-lux estates — positioning him perfectly for catering to the enormously wealthy cast of players moving into President Trump’s Gilded Age D.C. … He doesn’t see himself as simply a real estate agent. He’s more of a white-glove concierge meets sociologist meets therapist, he tells Axios.” OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at Walmart’s U.S. manufacturing reception yesterday at its Navy Yard office, capping the company’s two-day Hill fly-in: Reps. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.), Bill Foster (D-Ill.), Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Brad Knott (R-N.C.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Nick Langworthy (R-N.Y.) and Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) and Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández (D-P.R.). — SPOTTED at the Aspen Institute’s Philosophy and Society/Wisdom of Crowds salon with Francis Fukuyama at Damir Marusic’s residence last night: Shadi Hamid, Samuel Kimbriel, Christine Emba, Jason Willick, Freddy Gray, Freddie Hayward, Jordan Castro, Rachel Rizzo, Kelly Chapman, Harry Stein, Jamie Kirchick, Diana Brown, Mana Afsari, Santiago Ramos, Kristina Tabor, Samuel Goldman, Jon Purves, Chris Griswold, Peter Catapano, Chris McCaffery, Sadev Parikh and John Hudson. TRANSITIONS — Ronald Rowe Jr. is joining the Chertoff Group as a senior adviser. He previously was acting director of the Secret Service. … Reservoir Communications Group is adding Patrick “Pat” Kannan as CFO and Ashley Flint as an SVP. Kannan previously was CFO at OPEXUS. Flint previously was a principal at Avalere Health. 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. Corrections: Yesterday’s Playbook PM misstated the branch of the armed forces that deployed 700 service members to LA. They are members of the U.S. Marine Corps. It also misspelled the names of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Jaime Harrison.
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