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Presented by Google: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | | |  | | By Garrett Ross and Eli Okun | | | BREAKING: Speaker NANCY PELOSI has snubbed two of House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY’S appointments to the Jan. 6 select committee, formally rejecting Reps. JIM BANKS and JIM JORDAN. McCarthy responded in short order by pulling the remaining GOP appointees to the panel. “I have spoken with him this morning about the objections raised about Representatives Jim Banks and Jim Jordan and the impact their appointments may have on the integrity of the investigation. I also informed him that I was prepared to appoint Representatives Rodney Davis, Kelly Armstrong and Troy Nehls, and requested that he recommend two other Members. “With respect for the integrity of the investigation, with an insistence on the truth and with concern about statements made and actions taken by these Members, I must reject the recommendations of Representatives Banks and Jordan to the Select Committee. The unprecedented nature of January 6th demands this unprecedented decision.” The full statement … More from Olivia Beavers @GOPLeader threatens to pull all his members from the panel: “Unless Speaker Pelosi reverses course and seats all five Republican nominees, Republicans will not be party to their sham process and will instead pursue our own investigation of the facts.” McCarthy’s full statement Heather Caygle (@heatherscope): “‘It’s unprecedented, it’s never happened before in the history of select committees,’ Jordan tells me of Pelosi's decision to veto his membership. He’s headed to meet with McCarthy now.” — Both Banks and Jordan objected to the election results on Jan. 6, as did Nehls. — @scottwongDC: “Banks met with Trump twice in recent weeks, at his NJ golf club and on the Texas border. That likely was a red flag for Pelosi.” But our own Rachael Bade says this move by Pelosi “is going to be a gift to Kevin McCarthy in the long run. He wanted this panel to look partisan and political. Now it's definitely going to look partisan and political.” Pelosi spox DREW HAMMILL responds: “The panel is already bipartisan and has a quorum. There's nothing partisan about seeking the truth.” AND THEN THERE’S THIS — “Republicans threaten to hold up debt ceiling days before deadline, raising potential for political showdown,” by WaPo’s Tony Romm and Seung Min Kim: “Senate Republicans on Wednesday threatened to vote against an increase to the debt ceiling unless Congress first agrees to new spending cuts or other reforms, raising the potential for a major political showdown that could carry vast implications for both the global economy as well as President Biden’s agenda. “The new ultimatum marked a reversal for Republicans, who agreed to address the ceiling — the statutory amount the government can borrow to pay its bills — multiple times to advance policies under now-former President Donald Trump that helped add $7 trillion to the federal deficit during his term. … The renewed Republican threats arrived only 10 days before a current agreement that suspends the debt ceiling is set to expire.” — NBC’s @kylegriffin1: “Schumer: McConnell's ‘statements on debt ceiling are shameless, cynical, and totally political. This debt is Trump debt. It's COVID debt. … Leader McConnell should not be playing political games with the full faith and credit of the United States. Americans pay their debts.’” | | A message from Google: Google’s AI-driven security protects billions of people. Google keeps more people safe online than anyone else in the world by blocking malware, phishing attempts, spam messages, and potential cyberattacks. Google is also partnering with public and private sectors to develop and implement security technologies to make us all safer. Learn more. | | | TODAY’S INFRASTRUCTURE JOCKEYING … — HuffPost’s @igorbobic: “[Sen. SUSAN] COLLINS says 11 Republican senators are sending Schumer a letter that they’ll be prepared to vote to start debate on infrastructure on Monday.” On the Dem side: “Biden moves to preempt House Dem blow-up over infrastructure deal,” by Laura Barrón-López and Heather Caygle: “After months of aggressively wooing senators, White House officials are now turning on the charm with House Democrats. The administration is working to soothe anger among Democratic members who have grown vocal in their dissatisfaction with the bipartisan infrastructure bill that the Senate will soon consider. “Their attempts to keep House Democrats in line illustrate how actively the White House is gaming out the legislative hurdles ahead. Speaker NANCY PELOSI (D-Calif.) and her team will need near unanimity to move the $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal — and possibly a much larger partisan social spending plan — through the House in the coming weeks. More immediately, both Pelosi and the White House know that having senior House Democrats trashing the already delicate bipartisan infrastructure negotiations in the Senate could dim the chances of a final deal being reached.” For the GOP: “Ahead of failed vote, Republicans scramble to secure infrastructure support,” by Burgess Everett and Marianne LeVine: “Centrist Republicans are rushing to lock down sufficient GOP support to move forward next week on their bipartisan infrastructure plan, even as Wednesday’s vote to advance the framework is expected to fail. “Ohio Sen. ROB PORTMAN, the lead negotiator, is attempting to round up 10 or more GOP yes votes for early next week, according to multiple sources familiar with the effort. Portman has been working on a letter to Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER vowing to move forward after Wednesday’s likely stumble, but he has not publicly released it yet. Portman wants to demonstrate to Schumer that Republicans will move forward, just not on Wednesday.” Good Wednesday afternoon. HEADS UP — Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY will visit the White House on Aug. 30, the White House announced today. JUICY TRUMP INC. READ — “Allen Weisselberg resigned from the top of the Trump Organization. So who’s running the company now?” by WaPo’s David Fahrenthold, Josh Dawsey and Jonathan O'Connell: “ [ALLEN] WEISSELBERG still works at the company, according to one person familiar with the Trump Organization. But his resignation from those formal posts means that the company’s already small executive ranks have shrunk even further, at a time when the company faces a raft of financial and legal problems. … “Officially, its most powerful officer is now DONALD TRUMP JR. The Trump Organization is controlled by the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust — a legal entity to which Trump transferred his hundreds of companies when he took office in 2017. … In a practical sense, people familiar with the company say, the company’s day-to-day leaders are Trump Jr., 43, and his younger brother ERIC, 37. Eric, who lives in New York, usually plays a more active role, the people said, since Trump Jr. has moved to Florida and become more involved in politics. “It’s unclear, from the outside, why the former president has not retaken his role as the company’s daily leader. … A person close to Trump said he appeared informed about some of the company’s businesses, bragging to associates about a remodeling project at one golf club and the profits being made at others. But, the person said, Trump still appears more focused on politics than business — and focused on some lines of business more than others.” | | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | THE VACCINATION EFFORT — “Cash shortage threatens White House global vaccine effort,” by Erin Banco: “[A]mid a bureaucratic battle with the White House, the agency charged with distributing the shots — the U.S. Agency for International Development — is scrambling to figure out how to pay for them. “At issue is more than a billion dollars the cash-strapped aid agency was supposed to use to help needy countries store, transport and administer Covid vaccines. In June, the White House diverted the money to pay for 500 million additional doses of Pfizer’s shot, according to three senior administration officials with knowledge of the situation. But those doses won’t arrive for months, and in the meantime USAID officials argue they will struggle to help countries secure resources to distribute the shots and obtain Covid drugs and personal protective gear.” AILING AID — “Key federal aid programs are running out of time — and cash — as new coronavirus variant spreads,” by WaPo’s Tony Romm: “Since the pandemic began, Congress has authorized about $6 trillion in assistance, which helped stave off an economic downturn that in some ways rivaled even the Great Depression. That includes critical federal initiatives that once lent billions of dollars to small businesses and restaurants, which in recent months have run out of cash or reached their expected ends. “For workers, meanwhile, a series of programs to help renters afford housing, assist students struggling with their loans or boost out-of-work Americans’ pay are nearing their expiration — unless Congress extends them or the White House intervenes. No state has announced the sort of major restrictions on travel or commerce that Americans nationwide experienced last spring. … Still, experts say the uncertainty about the delta variant might be enough to spook Americans, slow hiring and curtail spending and growth once more, unleashing a hard-to-calculate toll on an economy that has been on the upswing.” — “State, local officials distributed just 6.5 percent of rental aid in first half of year,” by Katy O’Donnell: “State and local officials disbursed $1.5 billion in federal rental assistance in June, the Treasury Department reported Wednesday morning, bringing the total rental aid distributed over the first six months of the year to a little over $3 billion — about 6.5 percent of the total aid Congress has allocated. “While officials have picked up the pace of disbursal — serving 290,000 households in June, up from 160,00 the previous month — they remain woefully behind demand, with a little over 633,000 households served by a program meant to help millions. About 7.4 million tenant households reported being behind on rent in June, according to the latest survey data from the Census Bureau, with 3.6 million households saying they were ‘somewhat likely’ or ‘very likely’ to face eviction in the next two months.” ON THE NORTHERN BORDER — “Biden diverges with Canada and extends border restrictions until at least Aug. 21,” by Andy Blatchford in Ottawa COMING SOON — “Biden to meet next month with private sector on cyber issues,” by AP’s Eric Tucker: “President Joe Biden and members of his national security team plan to meet next month with business executives about cybersecurity, an official said Wednesday. “The Aug. 25 meeting comes as the White House is scrambling to help companies protect against ransomware attacks from Russia-based criminal syndicates and as the administration also confronts an aggressive cybersecurity threat from the Chinese government. A National Security Council spokesperson disclosed the meeting, but did not identify the business leaders who would be participating.” | | | | Be a Policy Pro. POLITICO Pro has a free policy resource center filled with our best practices on building relationships with state and federal representatives, demonstrating ROI, and influencing policy through digital storytelling. Read our free guides today . | | | | | TERRIS ON GOSAR — “Paul Gosar was a beloved dentist. Now he’s a MAGA congressman. His former patients need a spit bowl,” by WaPo’s Ben Terris: “If oral health is a good indicator of overall health, it’s fair to wonder about the state of the Republican Party with [Rep. PAUL] GOSAR as a mouthpiece. … On top of his affection for the Jan. 6 rioters, Gosar has attended multiple events with NICK FUENTES, a white-nationalist activist who has described Gosar’s membership in Congress as a reason for hope. “Gosar’s evolution from the Arizona Dental Association’s 2001 Dentist of the Year to a conspiracy-minded, race-baiting congressman isn’t exactly surprising to anyone paying attention to today’s GOP and its associated right-wing media personalities, whose adoption of Trump’s personal bugbears has made conspiracy theorists of many rank-and-file Republicans. And yet, to the people who knew Gosar as a mild-mannered dentist, it all feels shocking.” 2024 WATCH — “Cuba protests ignite 2024 GOP primary,” by Marc Caputo in Miami: “Cuba policy isn’t just a Miami political issue any more. In the days after the historic uprisings, Cuba has emerged as a central focus among Republican presidential contenders who have elevated the calls for democracy on the island to a top-tier issue in the 2024 shadow primary. … “The presidential prospects have seized the opportunity to differentiate themselves in a crowded field, but they are also using the moment to unify the GOP behind themes nearly everyone in the party can agree on, ranging from a hard-line anti-communism message to a critique of Biden administration foreign policy to attacks on the progressive left.” SPORTS BLINK — “Olympics, pandemic and politics: There’s no separating them,” by AP’s Stephen Wade in Tokyo HOT JOB — Blue Origin is looking for a senior public relations manager for public policy. The Daybook posting FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Adrian Durbin, former head of comms at Lyft, has joined Greenbrier, the corporate and crisis PR firm. He will lead Greenbrier along with Matt McKenna, the former Clinton national spokesman who co-founded the firm in 2016. Greenbrier is part of the Messina Group, led by Jim Messina. | | | | A message from Google:   Cybersecurity requires technology that is secure by default. Learn how Google supports the White House cybersecurity executive order. | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |  |
