Playbook PM: A Mod Squad assist from Manchin and Sinema

From: POLITICO Playbook - Monday Aug 23,2021 05:11 pm

Aug 23, 2021

By Rachael Bade, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun

Presented by

SEAL OF APPROVAL — “FDA approves Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, making way for more vaccine mandates,” by Katherine Ellen Foley and Lauren Gardner

— Right on cue: “Pentagon: U.S. military will make Covid-19 vaccines mandatory following FDA approval of Pfizer's shot,” CNN

MANCHIN, SINEMA GIVE AIR COVER TO THE MOD SQUAD — As the nine House Democratic centrists threatening to derail Tuesday’s budget vote come under heavy fire from the entire party, Senate heavyweights JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) and KYRSTEN SINEMA (D-Ariz.) are providing them with some cover.

1) Sinema made clear that she will not back a $3.5 trillion reconciliation plan and isn’t willing to negotiate about it — even as progressives and leaders try to use her hard-fought bipartisan infrastructure deal as a bargaining chip to get both passed. More from Burgess Everett

2) Manchin blasted out a statement cheering the House moderates for their demands. "It would send a terrible message to the American people if this bipartisan [infrastructure] bill is held hostage,” Manchin said. “I urge my colleagues in the House to move swiftly to get this once in a generation legislation to the President’s desk for his signature.”

The pair of statements serve two purposes:

1) To try to pressure party leaders like House Speaker NANCY PELOSI into decoupling the reconciliation bill and the infrastructure deal. (Good luck with that.)

2) To clarify that they aren’t going to back a $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill — never, never, never.

As we reported this morning in Playbook, even beyond the budget vote drama of the next 48 hours, there’s a storm brewing in the House over the size of the reconciliation package. Progressives and Democratic leaders seem to think that $3.5 trillion is the number, as Pelosi made clear in a “Dear Colleague” letter over the weekend. But House moderates are loath to swallow such a price tag if their centrist brethren in the Senate are simply going to turn around and cut it down significantly.

A REMINDER: Pelosi can only lose three votes.

HAPPENING TONIGHT: At 5:30 p.m. House Democrats will have an emergency caucus meeting ahead of the vote on the rule for the budget. Just keep in mind that the rule vote isn’t the real showdown — several moderates could (and likely will) vote for this but then, take their stand on the budget vote. The latest, via Heather Caygle and Sarah Ferris. And the latest “Dear Colleague” letter aimed at upping the pressure on the mods — this one from House Transportation Chairman PETER DEFAZIO.

MEANWHILE, DEMS IN … WELL, YOU KNOW.

— THE LEFT AMPS UP THE FIGHT: The Justice Democrats have teamed up with Indivisible, the Sunrise Movement, Organize for Justice, MoveOn and the Working Families Party to launch a six-figure ad buy targeting the nine “Mod Squad” members. Not a good look: The original ad meant to attack Rep. VICENTE GONZÁLEZ, a Texas Democrat, but instead used a photo of Rep. ANTHONY GONZALEZ, an Ohio Republican. Justice Dems & co. have since corrected the spot.

— GOTTHEIMER’s MEDIA BLITZ: As the heat cranks up on the nine-member “Mod Squad,” Rep. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-N.J.), the leader of the group, has stepped up his media appearances — including giving an in-depth interview to The Atlantic’s Russell Berman . Here’s an excerpt that caught our eyes:

Gottheimer: [Progressives] have the votes to tank [the bipartisan infrastructure bill], and they’re holding the president’s priority hostage, which I don’t understand. …

Berman: Aren’t you doing the same thing … by holding up the budget resolution and saying you’re not going to vote for that until the infrastructure bill passes?

Gottheimer: No, not at all, because they’ve announced for months that they’re not going to bring infrastructure to the floor. … I’ve literally said to my colleagues, ‘Let’s vote on the infrastructure bill, and then, like, 15 minutes later we can start debate on the budget resolution and vote on it the next day.’ …

Berman: Besides bringing up the infrastructure bill, is there anything else Speaker Pelosi could offer you? Is there a deal to be had that’s separate?

Gottheimer: I’m focused on the infrastructure package, and … I’m hopeful that we will work this out by the time of the vote. I’ve said multiple times I’m eager to sit down and work this out and find a way forward here.

On CNN this morning, Gottheimer House progressives will cave. Via NBC’s @sahilkapur: “On CNN, @RepJoshG predicts House progressives will cave and vote for infrastructure bill if put to a quick vote. ‘I think the votes from all of our caucus—if we voted on infrastructure today—that they would all be there. No one's going to vote against 2 million jobs a year.’”

Good Monday afternoon.

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HEADS UP — President JOE BIDEN will now deliver remarks on Covid-19 and vaccinations at 1:30 p.m. in the South Court Auditorium. And national security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN will join press secretary JEN PSAKI at today’s 2 p.m. briefing

NO MO’ CUOMO — At noon, with just under 12 hours left before his resignation is official, New York Gov. ANDREW CUOMO gave his farewell address — a wide-ranging speech in which he took swipes at the “defund the police” movement, called for Congress to reinstate the SALT tax deduction and offered parting advice on how to respond to the Delta variant as the fall nears.

— Worth noting: Shortly before the speech, MELISSA DEROSA, Cuomo’s longtime top aide, said in a statement that Cuomo “has no interest in running for office again.”

— DOGGONE: There’s an old saying about politics: If you want a friend, get a dog. Well, the Albany Times Union set Twitter aflame by reporting that as Cuomo looks to a life post-politics, he’s opted to kick his pooch, Captain, to the curb, deserting the dog at the governor’s mansion three years after adopting him. FWIW, Cuomo spox RICH AZZOPARDI denies the report. Woof. Captain’s greatest moments, via Ruby Cramer

TALIBAN TAKEOVER

THE LATEST HEADLINES …

— The Taliban is not happy about a potential extended deadline for U.S. withdrawal. “It's a red line,” a Taliban spokesperson told Sky News. “So if they extend it, that means they are extending occupation while there is no need for that. … [T]here would be consequences.”

— Meanwhile, the Taliban insists that it will not shelter al-Qaida. “‘They are not present in Afghanistan in the first place,’ a Taliban spokesman, Mohammed Naeem, said in an interview with Saudi’s al-Hadath TV that aired late Sunday. When pressed, he insisted that al-Qaeda now had no foothold in the country and no relationship with the Taliban — while noting there may be ‘family ties’ between members of the two organizations,” WaPo’s Ellen Francis writes.

… But people are understandably skeptical about that claim: “Afghanistan, Again, Becomes a Cradle for Jihadism—and Al Qaeda,” by The New Yorker’s Robin Wright: “The Taliban takeover is the biggest boost to Al Qaeda since 9/11 and a global game changer for jihadism generally, RITA KATZ, the executive director of the Site Intelligence Group, a leading tracker of extremist activity worldwide, told me. There is a ‘universal recognition’ that Al Qaeda can now ‘reinvest’ in Afghanistan as a safe haven, Katz said. Jihadism effectively has a new homeland, the first since the collapse of the ISIS caliphate in March, 2019.”

— A spat of gunfire near the Kabul airport ended with at least one Afghan soldier dead, according to the AP.

VEEP ABROAD — “Harris: Focus must stay on Afghan evacuation,” by AP’s Alexandra Jaffe in Singapore: “Vice President KAMALA HARRIS asserted Monday that the U.S. must maintain its focus on evacuating Americans and vulnerable Afghans and shouldn’t get distracted by questions over what went wrong in the chaotic U.S. exit from Afghanistan.

“Speaking at a news conference in Singapore, Harris repeatedly declined to engage when asked what she felt should have been done differently in the withdrawal. ‘There’s no question there will be and should be a robust analysis of what has happened, but right now there’s no question that our focus has to be on evacuating American citizens, Afghans who worked with us and vulnerable Afghans, including women and children,’ she said.”

THE POST-TALIBAN AFGHANS — “What Will Become of Afghanistan’s Post-9/11 Generation?” photo essay by Kiana Hayeri for NYT: “In June, the photojournalist Kiana Hayeri set out to photograph Afghanistan’s post-9/11 generation, the young people who grew up after the American invasion, in an increasingly open society. She sought to capture their deepening uncertainty about their country’s future as the American withdrawal approached. Instead she wound up documenting the end of life as they knew it.”

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.

PANDEMIC

PROMISING SIGNS — “Third Pfizer dose significantly lowers risk of infection in seniors, Israeli data shows,” by WaPo’s Adela Suliman, Bryan Pietsch and Brittany Shammas: “A study by the Israeli Health Ministry found that a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine provided four times as much protection against infection as two doses in people 60 and older.”

BUT, BUT, BUT — “WHO head calls for two-month vaccine booster moratorium,” by AP’s Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary: “The head of the World Health Organization on Monday called for a two-month moratorium on administering booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines as a means of reducing global vaccine inequality and preventing the emergence of new coronavirus variants.

“WHO Director-General TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS told reporters in Hungary’s capital, Budapest, that he was ‘really disappointed’ with the scope of vaccine donations worldwide as many countries struggle to provide first and second doses to more than small fractions of their populations while wealthier nations maintain growing vaccine stockpiles.”

BACK TO SCHOOL — “Many School Districts Keep Covid-19 Closure Thresholds Flexible,” by WSJ’s Ben Chapman, Lee Hawkins and Yoree Koh: “When U.S. schools reopened for in-person learning last year, many districts had clear metrics for thresholds that would trigger school closures due to Covid-19. This year, more are taking a wait-and-see approach.

“As districts around the country reopen amid rising cases and hospitalizations, many haven’t developed formal contingency plans that lay out what it will take for them to close a school or quarantine students. Officials say they are wary of setting benchmarks that may repeatedly change as they did last year. The contingency plans, or lack thereof, have some parents clamoring for more transparency while others advocate for schools to remain open as much as possible.”

— “N.Y.C. is expected to require shots for all education staff, including teachers and principals,” by NYT’s Eliza Shapiro

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

FOR YOUR RADAR — “China-US tension: Xi-Biden meet may be further delayed as Beijing considers a virtual G20 seat,” by South China Morning Post’s Catherine Wong and Wendy Wu in Beijing: “The prospect of Chinese President XI JINPING holding a face-to-face meeting with his American counterpart Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Group of 20 Summit in Italy this autumn have dimmed, according to sources familiar with arrangements.

“While Beijing is yet to reach a final decision, the leadership leans towards China’s president attending via a video link rather than flying to Rome for the summit on October 30-31. … While any decision for Xi to not go to Rome for the summit would be partly because of safety concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, it also reflects the lack of progress made to restart the stalled China-US relationship.”

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BEYOND THE BELTWAY

DATA DIVE — “Census data suggests America’s hunger problem may be waning, but food assistance continues to top pre-pandemic levels,” by WaPo’s Laura Reiley: “Self-reported food insecurity for the week ending Aug. 2 was at its lowest levels since the start of the coronavirus pandemic for households with children, according to the census data. That dovetails with strong jobs numbers, stronger economic growth and other bright spots in the economic recovery.

“But food stamps enrollment is still way up, 2 million more than last year and 6 million more than in 2019. And food banks are still seeing dramatically more need than during pre-pandemic times. Plus money doesn’t go quite as far, as the cost of many grocery items — including beef, poultry, eggs and dairy — continues to tick higher, as it has for well over a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”

PLAYBOOKERS

TRANSITIONS — Kathleen Kennedy Manzo is now an executive VP at Hager Sharp. She most recently was a senior partner at Widmeyer Communications and is an EdWeek alum. … Kelly McCoy is now director of broadcast comms at the Center for American Progress. She most recently was a segment producer for ABC’s “This Week” and is an Atlantic and National Journal alum.

WEEKEND WEDDINGS — PaaWee Rivera, senior adviser for intergovernmental affairs and director of tribal affairs for the White House, and Sera Lee, deputy director of human resources for the DNC, got married Friday in Santa Fe, N.M. Pic

— Andrew Bower, a senior legislative assistant for Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), and Clara Beyer, who runs her own web development and design firm, Clara B. Development, and is the daughter of Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), got married Saturday in Newport, R.I., overlooking the ocean, hours before Hurricane Henri slammed the coast. The two met at Brown University, where they graduated in 2014. Pic

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Michelle Perry, executive producer of MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” and Jason Neal welcomed Violet Lou Neal on Sunday. She came in at 7 lbs, 3 oz. and joins big brother Jasper. Pic