The coming eviction crisis

By Eugene Daniels

At midnight tonight, federal protections barring evictions will expire, putting millions of Americans at risk of losing their homes during the pandemic.

The expiration has led to a wave of infighting between the White House and House Democrats over the administration’s last-second punt to Congress on the issue — a bit of a surprise, given how closely the Biden administration tends to work with House leadership.

— On Thursday, the White House released a statement saying that it could not unilaterally continue the eviction moratorium, citing a Supreme Court ruling from last month and urging Congress to act before midnight Saturday — which is not enough time for Congress to do … well, just about anything.

— That put Speaker NANCY PELOSI in an unusual situation: scrambling to try and pass a bill Friday, ahead of recess, without much notice or time to whip votes — which is not the way the famously fastidious speaker tends to operate.

— In a presser Friday, White House deputy press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE said the administration had “been having conversations with Congress for some time about this.”

— That’s not the view on the Hill, as Sarah Ferris, Heather Caygle and Katy O’Donnell report: “Some Democratic lawmakers have privately said they are outraged by the debacle and the lack of notice from the White House.”

— Either way, the House’s last-ditch effort Friday failed as members of Congress packed up and went home for a weekslong recess. “Really, we only learned about this yesterday,” Pelosi told reporters afterward, nodding to the White House’s last-minute notice. “Not really enough time to socialize it within our caucus to build … the consensus necessary.”

— Afterward, members of the “Squad” mounted a protest at the Capitol, and Rep. CORI BUSH (D-Mo.) spent the night on its steps and was still there in a sleeping bag as of this morning. (h/t CNN’s Daniella Diaz)

It has the makings of not just a one-time political headache, but an ongoing migraine if the U.S. sees an unprecedented surge in evictions in the coming months just as the highly transmissible Delta variant causes a spike in coronavirus cases, as Katy O’Donnell writes.

THE GROWING DELTA — For months, the Biden administration’s laserlike focus on the pandemic earned it consistently high polling numbers and actual results. But as the delta variant spreads, the administration’s outlook is getting a bit more complicated. POLITICO Pulse author Adam Cancryn writes in:

“The now-dominant strain in the U.S. is far more contagious and can be passed on by both vaccinated and unvaccinated people. It’s driven a five-fold jump in cases over the past month, and in some parts of the country hospitals are once again bursting with Covid-19 patients who refused to get the vaccine — and are now severely ill. Those alarming trends have put a damper on the mood inside an administration that had largely enjoyed six months of success battling the pandemic, yet now faces the prospect that its progress could be slipping away.

“There is good news, of course. The formula for beating this Covid-19 variant is the same as it has been all along: vaccinating as many people as possible, and limiting the virus’ spread in the meantime — in this case, by going back to mask-wearing indoors across much of the country.

“But it’s increasingly a hard ask for the White House to make of a weary and sharply divided public — and one that is likely to fall on deaf ears in the places that need it most. Even as the daily vaccination rate picked up this week for the first time in a month, most states have yet to hit the 70% partial vaccination threshold that President JOE BIDEN set as a goal back in early July — and in some parts of the South and Midwest, the vast majority of people have still yet to seek out a vaccine.” More from AP’s Jonathan Lemire: “Biden’s infrastructure win overshadowed by new virus surge”

Good Saturday morning, and thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri.

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THREE TOP READS FOR SATURDAY …

— Inside McConnell’s decision to back Biden’s infrastructure bill: No senator in Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL’s inner circle knew he was about to support Biden’s infrastructure bill “until moments before the vote,” report Burgess Everett and Marianne LeVine, and some first heard the news via Twitter. The fact he played it so close to the chest “reflects deep divisions in his conference over whether to hand Biden a victory,” they report. But “McConnell also surmises that if he and his party became the face of obstruction, it could lead Democratic moderates like JOE MANCHIN of West Virginia and KYRSTEN SINEMA of Arizona to waver on the filibuster, advisers said. So in order to keep his veto power intact, McConnell is taking a more conciliatory approach on infrastructure” — albeit one that has its own political risks, as Burgess and Marianne explain.

— The White House’s growing frustration with coverage of the pandemic: To those of us who talk with members of the Biden administration on a regular basis, it’s becoming more and more obvious that they’re irritated by how the press is covering Covid-19 and the rising delta variant. “The administration is worried that the media’s focus on these instances of breakthrough infections might lead to people being more hesitant to get a vaccine,” CNN’s Oliver Darcy writes. “The media’s coverage doesn't match the moment,” a Biden official told him. “It has been hyperbolic and frankly irresponsible in a way that hardens vaccine hesitancy.”

— The GOP finds a new villain for their economic message: a Wall Street-inspired housing pinch. With housing prices rising throughout the country, “conservatives looking for a fresh populist message to carry into 2022 are taking on Wall Street firms for buying up single family homes as rentals, attacking the growing practice as hurting the middle class,” writes Bloomberg’s Mark Niquette. It’s a talking point that J.D. VANCE, TUCKER CARLSON and Rep. MARJORIE TAYLORE GREENE (Ga.) have all voiced — and one you can expect to hear more of as the 2022 cycle revs up. “The message is, Washington and big banks and big government and big corporations, they’re all corrupt and you work hard and play by the rules and you’re not getting ahead and this is the reason for it,” GOP strategist RICK TYLER tells Bloomberg.

BIDEN’S SATURDAY — The president has nothing on his public schedule.

KAMALA HARRIS’ SATURDAY — The VP has nothing on her public schedule.

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.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: President Joe Biden gets a note from an aide that reads, "Sir - there is something on your chin" during a meeting with governors about wildfires Friday. | Andrew Harnik/AP Photo

CONGRESS

IT’S TIME FOR A RECESS — “Cawthorn vs. McKinley: Another intra-GOP spat breaks out on House floor,” by Olivia Beavers: “A heated confrontation between Reps. MADISON CAWTHORN and DAVID MCKINLEY over cosponsorship of a bill has escalated to a McKinley staffer filing an ethics complaint against Cawthorn … At one point, the conflict turned into a yelling match on the House floor filled with slights and suggestions of retaliation …

“At one point in the office spat, Cawthorn asked McKinley’s staff if his boss ‘was that guy with the mustache that nobody f---ing knows.’ … Cawthorn approached McKinley and asked: ‘What is your name?’ McKinley, according to a GOP source, replied: ‘You know damn well who I am.’ … Cawthorn then sent letters on Friday to McKinley and the staffer in question. According to one letter reviewed by POLITICO, Cawthorn wrote that he does not ‘wish for any ill will between our offices.’”

FILLING OUT THE ADMIN — “Senate confirms Ur Jaddou to head immigration agency,” Axios

INFRASTRUCTURE YEAR

DEALMAKING DUO — “An Unlikely Pair, Portman and Sinema Steer Infrastructure Deal,” by NYT’s Emily Cochrane: “The strait-laced [Sen. ROB] PORTMAN, a creature of Washington who has served in the House, the White House and the Senate, is retiring and looking to cement his legacy as a pragmatic Republican … Ms. Sinema, an enigmatic first-term senator who relishes breaking with convention, is determined to prove her own deal-making prowess, and willing to counter progressive Democrats …

“Amid the resistance from inside their own parties, the pair — who struck up a friendship on a civil rights trip to Alabama nearly a decade ago, according to Ms. Sinema — have forged a rapport. ‘Trust,’ Mr. Portman said, when asked why the partnership worked. ‘It was because we saw an opportunity to do something good for the country, making lemonade out of lemons.’ … At one point, Mr. Portman’s phone grew so clogged with voice mails that Mr. Biden was unable to leave him a message … (They later connected.)”

DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS — “Cryptocurrency industry fears big tax hit in infrastructure bill,” by Kellie Mejdrich and Brian Faler: “Lawmakers want people facilitating trades in Bitcoin and other digital assets to be subject to reporting rules similar to those governing the sale of stocks and other securities: Brokers would be required to report things like how much people paid for cryptocurrencies.

“The proposal is alarming many in the industry, who are expressing fear of being ambushed with a host of new rules they could be stuck with for years.”

PANDEMIC

STEEL YOURSELVES — “Biden says U.S. will ‘in all probability’ see more guidelines and restrictions amid rising Covid cases,” CNN

OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF THE HEADLINES — “CDC under fire for decision to limit tracking of Covid-19 cases in vaccinated people,” by Rachel Roubein and David Lim: “The Centers for Disease Control’s limited tracking of Covid-19 cases in vaccinated people is hindering public health officials’ attempts to stem the nationwide surge of the highly transmissible Delta variant. …

“Now some public health experts and lawmakers are pressuring the CDC to reverse its decision and collect comprehensive data on infections in vaccinated people — from mild to severe. Such cases are very rare, but monitoring them can help reveal how likely a vaccinated person is to infect others, and how well vaccines work over time and against emerging Covid-19 variants.”

MASK CONFUSION — “Stricken states face Covid confusion after new mask guidance,” by Dan Goldberg and Erin Banco: “Health experts and local leaders in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee and Washington state told POLITICO they expect the latest warnings and recommendations will be brushed off by a crisis-weary public that’s been whipsawed for a year and a half by sometimes conflicting federal orders and scientific evidence. … Polling and on-the-ground experience show that it will likely take more death and illness to convince people that public health precautions still are a necessity.”

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

PULLOUT FALLOUT — “‘Complete disaster’: Inside the Biden team’s chaotic bid to evacuate Afghan interpreters,” by Andrew Desiderio and Lara Seligman: “President Joe Biden had just announced plans to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan in April when, during a classified briefing with top national security officials on Capitol Hill, one lawmaker stood up and asked a pointed question. What was the Biden administration’s plan to evacuate the thousands of Afghan nationals who aided the U.S. war effort, and expedite their visas? Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin didn’t have an answer. …

“[I]t foreshadowed what many members of Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike, now see as a failure by the Biden administration to sufficiently prepare for the avalanche of visa applications and the need to quickly evacuate those Afghans from the country as the Taliban make steady territorial gains. … Officials across the government are now working overtime to avoid a potentially disastrous outcome. … But there are doubts that the U.S. government can finish the job.”

HACK ATTACK — “Justice Department says Russians hacked federal prosecutors,” AP: “The department said 80% of Microsoft email accounts used by employees in the four U.S. attorney offices in New York were breached. All told, the Justice Department said 27 U.S. Attorney offices had at least one employee’s email account compromised during the [SolarWinds] hacking campaign.”

GITMO LATEST — “Justice Department Recasts Its Stance on Guantanamo Bay Detainees,” by WSJ’s Jess Bravin and Aruna Viswanatha

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POLITICS ROUNDUP

2022 WATCH — “Amodei, over a cancer scare, weighs congressional seniority in decision to run for governor,” by the Nevada Independent’s Humberto Sanchez: “As Rep. MARK AMODEI (R-Nev.) decides whether to launch a bid for governor, he said this week that he will take into account the likelihood that his seat stays in GOP hands and the seniority he has earned in Congress, which could see him lead one of two spending panels should Republicans win back the majority next year.”

DEMOCRACY WATCH — “Wisconsin Republican expands 2020 election investigation,” AP/Madison: “[Speaker ROBIN] VOS has designated retired Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice MICHAEL GABLEMAN as a ‘special counsel’ and empowered him to hire as many investigators as he wants, with the goal of completing the probe this fall. … There are almost no documented cases of election fraud in Wisconsin.”

POLICY CORNER

IMMIGRATION FILES — “Biden resumes fast-track deportation flights for migrant families, but many unable to travel after positive covid tests,” WaPo: “The Biden administration on Friday carried out its first fast-track deportation flights to Central America, but many families were abruptly removed from passenger manifests after testing positive for coronavirus or having been exposed to an infected person …

“Two deportation flights operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement departed Brownsville, Tex., with 73 family members, according to DHS officials, far fewer than the 147 adults and children who were originally slated to travel.”

CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 15 funnies

GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Ryan Lizza:

— “The New Moral Code of America’s Elite,” by The Atlantic’s Elizabeth Bruenig: “Two students went to Amy Chua for advice. That sin would cost them dearly.”

— “He couldn’t get over his fiancee’s death. So he brought her back as an AI chatbot,” by S.F. Chronicle’s Jason Fagone: “The death of the woman he loved was too much to bear. Could a mysterious website allow him to speak with her once more?”

— “Qaddafi’s Son Is Alive. And He Wants to Take Libya Back,” by NYT Magazine’s Robert F. Worth: “In his first meeting with a foreign journalist in a decade, Seif al-Islam described his years in captivity — and hinted at a bid for Libya’s presidency.”

— “Armed Standoffs With the Government, ‘Uber Militias,’ and Ammon Bundy’s Run to Be Idaho’s Next Governor,” by Mother Jones’ Stephanie Mencimer: “Does running for office make him less dangerous—or more?”

— “The Truman Show,” by Paul Campos in N.Y. Mag: “How the 33rd president finagled his way to a post–White House fortune — and created a damaging precedent.”

— “Who Actually Gets to Create Black Pop Culture?” by Bertrand Cooper in Current Affairs: “A closer look at the economics of Black pop culture reveals that most Black creators (outside music) come from middle-to-upper middle class backgrounds, while the Black poor are written about but rarely get the chance to speak for themselves.”

— “Bill de Blasio and the Decline of New York City,” by John Podhoretz for National Review: “The next mayor will have to contend with a legacy of wreckage.”

— “The Chowchilla bus kidnapping: What happened all those years ago?” by Vox’s Kaleb Horton: “In 1976, a school bus carrying 26 children and their driver disappeared from a small California town, capturing the world’s attention. Forty-five years later, we revisit the story.”

— “Where Do Poppers Come From?” by BuzzFeed’s David Mack: “For decades, poppers have been the go-to sex drug for gay men. But where do they come from?”

— “Emily Harrington Made History on El Cap. She’s Still Ascending,” By Julie Ellison for Outside: “Her list of physical feats seems almost impossible. Win national sport-climbing competitions starting at the age of 13? Check. Summit Mount Everest? Check. Free-climb El Capitan in under 24 hours? That, too. But in order to cement her status as one of the world’s best climbers, there were more daunting obstacles to overcome.”

— From the archives: “The Greatest Game Nobody Ever Saw,” by Sports Illustrated’s Jack McCallum, July 24, 2012: “‘You have a tape?’ Michael Jordan asks. ‘Of that game?’ ‘I do,’ I say. ‘Man, everybody asks me about that game,’ he says. ‘It was the most fun I ever had on a basketball court.’”

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IN MEMORIAM — “Former three-term Colorado Gov. Dick Lamm dies at 85,” by the Denver Post’s Saja Hindi and Justin Wingerter: “He was one of the longest-serving governors in the state’s history, and is remembered for his complicated legacy of independent-minded leadership when it came to environmentalism, opposing Colorado playing host to the Olympics and fighting for abortion rights …

“The former Democratic governor … served three terms from 1975 to 1987. … Lamm also became a hardline critic of immigration and was an advisor to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which the Southern Poverty Law Center considers to be a hate group.”

SPOTTED: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) at Dacha Navy Yard on Thursday night.

STAFFING UP — The White House announced several new nominations, including Ramin Toloui as assistant secretary of State for economic and business affairs, Rashad Hussain as ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, and Khizr Khan and Sharon Kleinbaum as commissioners of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. (Yes, that Khizr Khan.)

— Timothy Barrett is starting as assistant DNI for strategic comms. He most recently was CIA press secretary.

TRANSITION — Matt Handverger will be comms director for Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.). He most recently was press secretary for Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.).

WEDDING — Lauren Weaver and Burnell Holland III, via NYT : “He now runs Gilded Knight Consulting, a social impact strategy consulting and investment firm in Washington. … [S]he is now a white collar criminal defense and investigations lawyer [at Reed Smith]. … On July 17, before 140 vaccinated guests, the Rev. Jessie Gutgsell Dodson officiated at [St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio].”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) … Bill Bennett … POLITICO’s Bill Duryea … Sean Eldridge of Stand Up America … Nelson Garcia … Gray Television’s Kevin Latek … Todd Novascone of Ogilvy GR … Edelman’s Brian McNeill … Cory Bythrow … U.S. Chamber’s Lexi Branson … John Weber … Carolyn Weems of the Herald Group … Matthew Ballard of BCW Global … Micah Spangler of the Better World Campaign … Ben Ostrower … Rachel Gumpert … Lauren (Russell) Allen … Dan McFaul … James Floyd of Sen. Dick Durbin’s (D-Ill.) office … Terry Schilling … Denis Dison … Michael Mershon … Jay Dunn … former Massachusetts Govs. Bill Weld and Deval Patrick … Mark Cuban … Jessica Lautz … Audrey Sheppard … Dan Schnur … former Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.) … Matt Hutchison of Dow Jones … John Parks … Cara Rinkoff … C.J. Pearson … Marjorie Clifton

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