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Presented by Facebook: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | | |  | | By Tara Palmeri, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross | | | SCOOP: Playbook has learned that during an intense meeting at the White House on Wednesday, Rep. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-Wash.) broke into tears while arguing her case to President JOE BIDEN that the reconciliation bill should include a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, essential workers and farm workers. During the Oval Office meeting, several prominent Hill progressives argued forcefully for a robust reconciliation package. Jayapal, who leads the Congressional Progressive Caucus, advocated for the inclusion of major immigration provisions, and toward that end, used her own story as a selling point. “She said, ‘I’m the first South Asian woman ever elected to the House … and one of only two dozen immigrants in Congress … as an immigrant woman of color, I just want to share my perspective,” Jayapal spokesperson CHRIS EVANS confirmed. “She has a unique story as an immigrant — but also coming at 16, and to be sitting at the White House delivering what would be a transformational investment in social programs, it will be a moment she will remember forever.” Another source in the room interpreted the tears as a sign that Jayapal was overwhelmed by the situation and “feeling the pressure.” Evans countered: “It’s hard to get overwhelmed in a non-confrontational meeting. I could see someone getting overwhelmed if they were demanded to do something, but that didn’t happen.” PROGRESS OR PUFFERY? — Speaker NANCY PELOSI showed up at her weekly presser this morning with some surprise guests — Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER and Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN — and a surprise announcement: The White House, Senate and House had reached an agreement on the framework for reconciliation pay-fors. The revenue side is agreed upon, Schumer told reporters. A big question now: Is this a major step forward for Democrats’ heated intra-party negotiations, or is it less than meets the eye? — Is it a “framework” or … something else? Afterward, Schumer told WaPo’s Seung Min Kim that the agreement comprised a menu of possible revenue raisers to pay for the bill’s spending. — The leaders said the agreement did not mean they’d settled on a price tag, and they didn’t provide more details. — What does this mean for the BIB? Asked if, given this news, she had confidence the House would pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill Monday, Pelosi said: “We take it one day at a time.” — Several Democratic senators told reporters they had no idea what this was about, and hadn’t yet seen any of the details. Still, the leaders seemed thrilled to have any progress to announce. “I think we’re in a very good place,” Pelosi said. “I’ve always been very calm about this. … At the end of the day, we will be unified for the American people.” “We certainly think it’s progress,” press secretary JEN PSAKI declared later. The announcement followed Pelosi’s private comments to her caucus this morning, when she told them, essentially, to sweat the substance, not the numbers. “We should talk about what’s in the bill. … Let’s not have a conversation about topline,” she said, as Heather Caygle and Anthony Adragna scooped in POLITICO’s Congress Minutes. | | A message from Facebook: Why Facebook supports reforming Section 230
The internet has changed a lot in the last 25 years—the last time comprehensive internet regulations were passed.
Facebook supports updated regulations —like reforming Section 230, to set standards for the way larger tech companies enforce rules about content. | | | THE DEBT DANCE — As the U.S. inches closer toward what would be a catastrophic debt default, both parties are holding steady. “The former president [DONALD TRUMP] was famous for not paying his bills, and they want to do that again,” Pelosi quipped this morning. Notably, the speaker said there’s some doubt about whether Congress should continue its “tradition” of raising the debt ceiling. But Republicans are just as solid in their opposition. On the floor today, Senate Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL dismissed Democratic arguments that they don’t have enough time to lift the ceiling without GOP support. McConnell said it would take Dems “about a week or a little more” to do it through reconciliation. And even moderate Republicans may not help Dems raise the debt limit. “Key procedural vote to keep government open and avoid default next week could be straight party lines,” CNN’s Manu Raju reported. “[SUSAN] COLLINS a NO, [LISA MURKOWSKI] hasn’t said [explicitly]. [JOHN] KENNEDY, who had been signaling he’s a YES bc of … disaster aid, just told me he’s ‘undecided.’ And BILL CASSIDY undecided too.” Good Thursday afternoon. AMERICA AND THE WORLD FRIENDLY FIRE — DANIEL FOOTE, the U.S. special envoy to Haiti, resigned today over the Biden administration’s handling of the surge of Haitian migrants at the border, PBS NewsHour’s Yamiche Alcindor scooped. In a letter to Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN, Foote blasted the deportations back to Haiti as an “inhumane, counterproductive decision” and wrote that the administration’s “policy approach to Haïti remains deeply flawed, and my recommendations have been ignored and dismissed, when not edited to project a narrative different from my own.” The letter — Psaki didn’t mince words in response. Foote “had ample opportunity to raise concerns about migration during his tenure. He never once did so,” she said from the White House. PULLOUT FALLOUT — A significant percentage of the Air Force’s C-17 cargo planes, which led the Afghanistan evacuation effort, “underwent such heavy use that they are being taken out of service to undergo deferred maintenance and intensive cleaning,” WSJ’s Nancy Youssef reports. JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH POINT OF EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE — This would be major: The White House is leaning toward dispensing with precedent and giving information to Congress about Trump’s actions Jan. 6, even if Trump tries to invoke executive privilege to shield the documents, WaPo’s Tom Hamburger and Jackie Alemany report . Such a move by the Biden White House could head into uncertain legal terrain, but the administration “plans to err on the side of disclosure given the gravity of the events of Jan. 6.” BENNIE THOMPSON GETTING BUSY — The Jan. 6 committee is moving with alacrity, and six members told Kyle Cheney and Nicholas Wu “that they’re prepared to fly past any obstacles they encounter, mindful of Trump’s past success at stymieing congressional investigators.” Seven agencies have already responded to its initial tranche of document requests from the Trump administration, and two sets of White House documents have gone to the Trump team for legal review. — Next up: subpoenas . A list of targets could come as soon as this week. And Kyle and Nick report that the committee is taking a look at reforming the law that governs Congress’ certification of election results after this year’s debacle. | | | | TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: Do you listen to POLITICO podcasts? We want to hear from you! Tell us what you like, what you could do without, and what you want to see in the future from the POLITICO Audio team! Your responses will help us improve our offerings and tailor our podcast content to better fit your needs. Find the survey here. | | | | | THE WHITE HOUSE FEELS LIKE THE 2020 PRIMARY — White House economists put out a new analysis today calculating the income tax rate for the few hundred wealthiest American households — and determined that their average effective rate is just 8%, well below most Americans, NYT’s Jim Tankersley reports. It’s part of the administration’s push to tax the wealthy via the Democrats’ big reconciliation bill. But Tankersley notes that the methodology differs from that of other analyses, which have generally found tax rates on the wealthy to be higher. The analysis CODE OF SEMICONDUCT — The White House and Commerce Secretary GINA RAIMONDO today are hosting several major companies for meetings about the semiconductor chip supply shortage. Per Reuters , the White House is putting out an optional request for information from industry to get its arms around the problem and possible solutions. WaPo’s Jeanne Whalen reports that the crisis seems to be getting worse ON THE ROAD — Biden will travel to Chicago for a vaccine event Wednesday. POLITICS ROUNDUP WHO RUNS THE WORLD — PAMELA SHIFMAN is the new president of the Democracy Alliance, an under-the-radar but powerful collection of donors who funnel money into progressive politics, Hailey Fuchs reports. Shifman succeeds GARA LAMARCHE. The secretive group is planning to step up its funding for grassroots activism, with a focus on women’s rights and voting rights. But in an interview, Shifman declined to promise any new transparency efforts. TURNING LEPAGE — Trumpy PAUL LEPAGE is running to reclaim the Maine governor’s mansion in 2022, putting both parties in the state on edge. And it’s a preview of what national politics could look like if DONALD TRUMP attempts a similar comeback in 2024, Colin Woodard writes from Lewiston in a POLITICO Magazine feature. LePage could upend the semblance of normalcy that has returned to Maine politics since his departure, but his GOP base is still powerful — which is perhaps why he landed a Collins endorsement this week. And while Dem incumbent JANET MILLS is favored, nobody’s underestimating LePage this time. SHOULD HAVE BEEN ‘YANG GANG’ — ANDREW YANG’s new political party will be called the Forward Party, Insider’s Jake Lahut reports. CONGRESS WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT — If you were worried that the MATT GAETZ scandal didn’t have enough twists and turns yet, Marc Caputo has this humdinger of a story out of Miami: Before the Gaetz probe was public, JAKE NOVAK, a staffer at the Israeli consulate in New York, intimated to “Dilbert” cartoonist SCOTT ADAMS that he had inside knowledge of it and was also seeking to extract money from Gaetz’s father to help free BOB LEVINSON, a hostage in Iran. Months later, a different man was indicted for allegedly trying to defraud the elder Gaetz in the Levinson case and promising a pardon in return. There isn’t evidence Novak thought his plan was a crime. But “[t]he allegation that a foreign official may be involved in a shakedown scheme of a U.S. congressman — a highly unusual development in its own right — could help provide a fuller picture of a scandal that has captivated the nation’s capital but where many pieces are still unknown,” Marc writes. | | | | BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we’ve got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don’t miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now. | | | | | POLICY CORNER CLIMATE FILES — The Biden administration’s “first major regulatory action to reduce domestic greenhouse gas emissions” is here, CNBC reports: The EPA is ordering a major reduction in the use of hydrofluorocarbons, chemicals commonly used in refrigeration and air conditioning. The agency says the new limits will “reduce the equivalent of 4.7 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide by mid-century, or roughly three years’ worth of emissions from the country’s power sector at 2019 levels.” CRACKING THE CRYPTO — The first big federal cryptocurrency regulation is in the works, as the administration zeroes in on stablecoins, NYT’s Eric Lipton, Ephrat Livni and Jeanna Smialek report. Stablecoins play a crucial role in facilitating cryptocurrency transactions, but regulators are worried about their stability, and the liquidity and technical capacities of stablecoin firms. Crypto lobbyists are working to influence regulators as they craft the forthcoming rules. THE MEAT OF THE MATTER — Massive concentration in the U.S. meatpacking industry keeps processes efficient and prices low for consumers. It also makes the industry vulnerable to supply-chain shocks like we saw during the pandemic, which Ryan McCrimmon reports “has forced a reckoning, inside and outside the industry.” Diversifying the system with smaller and more local processors is a task facing significant financial and regulatory challenges. But Congress and the Biden administration have their eyes on antitrust and increased competition. THE LONG TAIL OF POLICY — Queer veterans who were forced out of the military still face challenges a decade after “don’t ask, don’t tell” ended,” WaPo’s Casey Parks reports . Many struggle to access benefits and grapple with ongoing mental health issues. The Pentagon and VA this week are planning new actions to get these veterans to apply for benefits, but advocates say it’s insufficient. TRUMP CARDS PENCE ABROAD — Former VP MIKE PENCE said in Budapest today “that he is hopeful the new conservative majority on the Supreme Court created during his and President Donald Trump’s administration will soon overturn abortion rights in the United States,” AP reports. SNOWBIRD FLYING — As the weather turns, DONALD TRUMP is moving back to Mar-a-Lago for the next several months, per Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser. THE PANDEMIC THE FINAL PUSH — About 10% of Americans are willing to get the Covid-19 vaccine but haven’t yet done so. WaPo’s Meryl Kornfield explores what it will take to get this segment jabbed. PLAYBOOKERS BONUS BIRTHDAY: British Ambassador Karen Pierce | | | |   | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |  |
