Biden’s testing mess

From: POLITICO Playbook - Thursday Dec 23,2021 11:14 am

Dec 23, 2021

View in browser

By Ryan Lizza

Presented by

DRIVING THE DAY

The novel coronavirus is raging through Washington, D.C., which on Wednesday registered the highest per-capita rate of daily new cases in the country.

At the White House, both President JOE BIDEN and VP KAMALA HARRIS had close contacts this week with staffers who later tested positive for the coronavirus. In a statement Wednesday night, Harris spokesperson SYMONE SANDERS revealed that an aide who staffed Harris throughout the day Tuesday tested positive for the virus Wednesday morning despite testing negative in the days beforehand. (Both Biden and Harris subsequently tested negative after their potential exposures.) Meanwhile, White House reporters have been told by the White House Correspondents Association to stay away from the briefing room if they can.

In Congress, every day brings a new trickle of lawmakers who announce they have tested positive for the coronavirus. The latest is House Majority Whip JIM CLYBURN (D-S.C.), who is 81 years old and will be forced to miss his daughter’s wedding.

The virus is sweeping through D.C. public schools. One local public high school informed parents Wednesday evening that it had 57 new positive cases. Several schools went virtual for their last day before winter break because so many teachers and staff are quarantining.

We have heard from local physicians shocked by the number of triple-vaxxed Covid-19 patients they’ve seen this week. Mayor MURIEL BOWSER, who only recently lifted the city’s indoor mask mandate, reinstated it this week, and added D.C.’s first vaccine-check mandate for many businesses.

The spike in cases sent Washingtonians scrambling for coronavirus tests ahead of holiday travel and gatherings with family and friends — and prompted some to endure long lines in the cold to get free tests at new city distribution sites.

Prominent hosts for marquee holiday events are canceling or tightening their Covid protocols. The British Embassy recently sent out an invitation to a black-tie New Year’s Eve party at Ambassador KAREN PIERCE’s home. The invitation was welcoming to the unvaxxed: “We ask that non-vaccinated guests continue to observe the CDC recommended mask policy.” But with Omicron raging, the embassy will now require guests at the heated outdoor “supper and dancing” soiree to be vaccinated and test negative for the coronavirus within 24 hours of showing up.

BIDEN’S TESTING MESS — In an interview that aired Wednesday, ABC’s DAVID MUIR asked Biden about the administration’s widely criticized failure to make coronavirus testing cheap and widely accessible. From ABC’s write-up of the interview:

“Muir pressed Biden on why tests were not available before the Christmas rush, with the omicron variant now detected in all 50 states.

“‘Three days before Christmas, if you look out across the country, you see it everywhere, these long lines, people waiting for hours outside in the cold, just to get tested, to be reassured before they spend time with their family,’ Muir said. ‘If you go to the pharmacy, we hear this over and over again, empty shelves, no test kits. Is that a failure?’

“‘I don’t think it’s a failure,’ Biden replied. ‘I think it’s — you could argue that we should have known a year ago, six months ago, two months ago, a month ago. … I wish I had thought about ordering’ 500 million at-home tests ‘two months ago,’ he told Muir.”

A message from Mastercard:

Holiday cheer is in the air and shoppers are returning to stores in force, including millions of small businesses across America. Mastercard SpendingPulse data shows that total retail sales are up nearly 30% compared to last year. By empowering small businesses with digital payment solutions, data insights and the tools to operate more efficiently, Mastercard is committed to helping them during this holiday season, and thrive in the future.

This struck us as a strange response from the president. For a year, he has been promising to fix the lack of testing capacity in the U.S. Here’s a short history of his testing promises:

Jan. 22 : Biden promises “a war footing to aggressively speed up our Covid-19 response, especially on vaccines and testing and reopening our schools.”

Feb. 17: Biden announces “a series of new actions to expand Covid-19 testing, improve the availability of tests, and better prepare for the threat of variants.”

March 11: Biden says, “We continue to work on making at-home testing available.”

July 6: Biden says, “We’re going to deploy things like testing to expand detection of the virus.”

Sept. 9: In a major speech, Biden says, “From the start, America has failed to do enough Covid-19 testing.” He promises to: 1) “use the Defense Production Act to increase production of rapid tests, including those that you can use at home,” 2) ensure that retailers such as Walmart, Amazon and Kroger “sell at-home rapid test kits at cost for the next three months,” and 3) “purchase nearly 300 million rapid tests for distribution … so that every American, no matter their income, can access free and convenient tests.”

(So while he may have told Muir that he wished he “had thought about ordering” 500 million at-home tests “two months ago,” Biden already promised 300 million tests three months ago.)

Dec. 2: In a major speech, Biden says, “This winter, we are going to make free at-home tests more available to Americans than ever before,” principally by mandating that “health insurers must cover the cost of at-home testing.”

Dec. 6: In a White House press briefing, a reporter asks press secretary JEN PSAKI whether the Biden reimbursement plan is needlessly cumbersome: “Why not just make them free and give them out to — and have them available everywhere?” Psaki mocks the question, responding, “Should we just send one to every American?”

Dec. 21: In a major speech, Biden admits his attempts to expand testing haven’t been adequate. “Because Omicron spreads easily, especially among the unvaccinated, it’s critically important that we know who’s infected,” he says. “That means we need more testing. And on that score, we are [not] where we should be.” He announces a new plan for the federal government to buy 500 million at-home rapid tests and send them to Americans for free.

— NYT’s Michael Shear and Sheryl Gay Stolberg note some big caveats in the new testing plan: “Biden’s administration has not yet signed a contract to buy the tests, and the website to order them will not be up until January. Officials have not said how many tests people will be able to order or how quickly they will be shipped once they begin to be available next month. Manufacturers say they are already producing tests as fast as they can.”

A message from Mastercard:

The holidays are here and shoppers have returned to small businesses across America. We're empowering entrepreneurs with digital tools to help them grow and thrive. Learn More.

Good Thursday morning, and happy Festivus to all who celebrate. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line and air your grievances: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri.

PROGRAMMING NOTE — Starting Friday and until Jan. 3, Playbook will publish a little later in the morning.

BIDEN’S THURSDAY:

— 9:30 a.m.: The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief.

— 3:30 p.m.: Biden will sign into law the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act with HHS Secretary XAVIER BECERRA.

Psaki will brief at noon.

THE SENATE and THE HOUSE are out.

POLITICO TECH AT CES 2022 - We are bringing a special edition of the POLITICO Tech newsletter to CES 2022. Written by Alexandra Levine and John Hendel, the newsletter will take you inside the most influential technology event on the planet, featuring every major and emerging industry in the technology ecosystem gathered together in one place. The newsletter runs from Jan. 5-7 and will focus on the public policy related aspects of the gathering. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage of the Summit.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

In an aerial view, cars line up at a drive-thru COVID-19 testing site at Tropical Park on December 22, 2021 in Miami, Florida.

Cars line up for drive-through coronavirus testing in Miami on Wednesday. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images

THE WHITE HOUSE

BIDEN ON 2024 AND TRUMP — More from the rare sitdown interview with ABC that aired Wednesday night: The president reiterated his intent to run for reelection in 2024 “if I’m in the health I’m in now … good health.”

One other thing that could give him that extra nudge: a DONALD TRUMP candidacy. “Why would I not run against Donald Trump [as] the nominee? That’ll increase the prospect of running.”

— FUN FACT, via Mark Knoller: “Comparing interview counts at same points in presidency: Biden: 16, Trump: 72, Obama: 155.”

TIKTOK ON THE CLOCK — Eugene goes inside the White House digital team, the group responsible for those viral TikTok videos meant to reach younger and more apolitical audiences with messages on vaccines. The influencer collaborations, in the White House’s view, are “part of a messaging campaign that can reinforce the importance of vaccination, demystify it, and, in a small way, move the country one step closer to some type of normalcy.”

CONGRESS

RICE REGRETS VOTE ON JAN. 6 — Rep. TOM RICE (R-S.C.) said Wednesday that he regrets voting against certifying Biden’s election win after the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, Olivia Beavers reports for Congress Minutes . “In retrospect I should have voted to certify. Because President Trump was responsible for the attack on the Capitol,” Rice said. “In the wee hours of that disgraceful night, while waiting for the Capitol of our great country to be secured, I knew I should vote to certify. But because I had made a public announcement of my intent to object, I did not want to go back on my word. So yeah, I regret my vote to object.”

JUDICIARY SQUARE

SCOTUS WATCH — The Supreme Court is set “to hold a special hearing next month to consider challenges to the Biden administration’s pandemic efforts to impose a nationwide vaccine-or-testing requirement for large employers and a separate coronavirus vaccine mandate for health-care workers. Both have been at least partially blocked from going into effect by lower courts after challenges from Republican-led states and from business and religious coalitions,” WaPo’s Robert Barnes writes. “It is highly unusual for the justices to schedule such hearings on emergency requests. Both will be considered Jan. 7.”

ALL POLITICS

THE NEW GOP — We’re a long way from the days of Republicans mocking BARACK OBAMA as a “celebrity candidate”: Now, thanks in large part to Trump, the GOP is increasingly turning to celeb Senate picks rather than, say, House members. Marianne LeVine and Sarah Ferris report that the likes of HERSCHEL WALKER, MEHMET OZ and J.D. VANCE (and current Sen. TOMMY TUBERVILLE ) “can communicate to voters fairly easily without paying for advertisements. On the other hand, celebrity candidates can be unaccustomed to the intense vetting and media scrutiny that comes with running for office.” One possible outcome: If they get into office, their lack of congressional experience may make bipartisan deal-making harder.

GEORGIA STATE OF PLAY — Georgia Republicans are working to undermine STACEY ABRAMS’ nascent gubernatorial bid (and Democratic arguments against Trump) by focusing on her initial refusal to concede defeat in 2018, Maya King reports.

“And it will be a potent political test for Abrams, an influential figure in the Democratic Party who made history as the first female Black nominee from a major party to run for governor — and who is eager for a rematch against Republican BRIAN KEMP. So far, Abrams is not backing down from the nuanced position she staked out at the end of a contentious campaign against Kemp, who was then secretary of state.

“Concession means to acknowledge an action is right, true or proper. As a woman of conscience and faith, I cannot concede,” Abrams said to supporters in 2018. “But my assessment is that the law currently allows no further viable remedy.”

A message from Mastercard:

Mastercard is helping entrepreneurs thrive during this holiday season and into the future. Learn More.

JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH

THE BIG LIE GOES LOCAL — WaPo’s Amy Gardner, Emma Brown and Josh Dawsey report: “Election officials across the country are facing a growing barrage of claims that the vote was not secure and demands to investigate or decertify the outcome, efforts that are eating up hundreds of hours of government time and spreading distrust in elections.

“The ongoing attack on the vote is being driven in part by well-funded Trump associates, who have gained audiences with top state officials and are pushing to inspect protected machines and urging them to conduct audits or sign on to a lawsuit seeking to overturn the 2020 results. And the campaign is being bolstered by grass-roots energy, as local residents who have absorbed baseless allegations of ballot fraud are now forcing election administrators to address the false claims.”

JORDAN WILL BE INVOLVED WITH 1/6 COMMITTEE, AFTER ALL — The House select committee investigating Jan. 6 announced Wednesday afternoon that it wants to question Rep. JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio) “about conversations he had on Jan. 5 or 6 with ‘those in the Willard War Room, the Trump legal team, White House personnel or others involved in organizing or planning the actions and strategies for January 6th,’” Kyle Cheney and Olivia Beavers report.

In the committee’s letter to Jordan, Chair BENNIE THOMPSON (D-Miss.) suggested a date of Jan. 3 or 4 for the testimony, and noted that when previously asked whether he’d talk to the committee, Jordan insisted he has “nothing to hide.” The letter

THAT WAS FAST — Trump’s former national security adviser MICHAEL FLYNN lost his legal bid to block the Jan. 6 committee from subpoenaing “his phone records and to hold off demands he speak to the panel,” CNN’s Katelyn Polantz reports . “The ruling Wednesday comes one day after he asked a federal judge in Florida for a temporary restraining order, and it's the first quick response to a lawsuit from a House witness, after several went to court to try to invalidate the committee and block the House from pursuing their phone records.”

PLEADING GUILTY — MATTHEW GREENE, a member of the extremist group the Proud Boys, pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges stemming from his involvement in the Jan. 6 riot, and “agreed to cooperate with the government — potentially against other members of the far-right extremist group,” NYT’s Alyssa Lukpat reports. Greene is most likely the first member of the group to enter a guilty plea on charges related to Jan. 6.

TRUMP CARDS

UNDER DEVELOPMENT — Trump told Fox News that his new media company, Trump Media & Technology Group, is still “under development,” but will “be in great shape” by the end of the first quarter of 2022. “It is going to be, very simply, a way of getting our voice out to a lot of people,” he said. “And when we get our voice out, there are a lot of people that want to hear this voice, because they don’t hear it.” More details from Fox News’ Brooke Singman

IN THE NFT BUSINESS — Longtime Trump ally ROGER STONE is getting into NFTs — “auctioning off a copy of a 1990s magazine cover he says is signed by the former president as part of a larger fundraising campaign to pay for his legal defenses and medical bills,” Alex Thompson reports. “If the bid exceeds $20,000 dollars, the bidder gets the physical version of the magazine along with ‘one of only one’ digital copy, which Stone marketed as an NFT, or a non-fungible token. NFT’s, which are essentially non-interchangeable digital tokens of a visual item, have shaken up the art world this past year with many being sold for millions.”

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.

PLAYBOOKERS

Mary Gay Scanlon was carjacked at gunpoint in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Madison Cawthorn announced that he and his wife of eight months have decided to divorce.

Symone Sanders began her farewell tour of the administration, posing for a series of Instagram photos with her longtime colleagues.

TRANSITIONS — Alex Enlow is now comms director for Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.). She most recently was deputy comms director for Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.). … Sally Fox is now press secretary for Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.). She most recently was press secretary for Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) … Bill Kristol … Lucinda Guinn of Ralston Lapp Guinn … Michawn Rich of Sen. Roger Marshall’s (R-Kan.) office … Dentons’ John Russell IV … Patrick Burgwinkle … Kelley Moore of Sen. Shelley Moore Capito’s (R-W.Va.) office … Jonathan Zucker (5-0) … Steve Thomma of the White House Correspondents Association, the pride of Chicago … Fatima Noor … Axios’ Claire Kennedy … Sophia Dycaico of Rep. Bobby Scott’s (D-Va.) office … Fox News’ Shannon Bream … Danielle Ruckert of RH Strategic Communications … Emil Pitkin of GovPredict … retired Gen. Wes Clark … Texas A.G. Ken Paxton ... Louisiana A.G. Jeff Landry … Dan Shott ... Bill Goodson ... Natasha Dabrowski ... Brittany Bolen ... Rich Tarplin ... former EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler … Charlie Townsend of KCE Public Affairs Associates … Karen Roberts … former Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa) … Chris Peacock (61)

Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.

Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike Zapler, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Allie Bice, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross.

A message from Mastercard:

What do you do when your dreams don’t go according to plan?

That’s what many small business owners who depended on foot traffic wondered last year when the pandemic suddenly forced them to close their doors and change their business models.

Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, serving as the lifeline through which goods, services and livelihoods flow. And, when the pandemic hit, Mastercard solutions, insights and tools helped entrepreneurs evolve to succeed in the new digital economy.

Now, as shoppers return to small businesses this holiday season, Mastercard is helping entrepreneurs prepare for the future.