Playbook PM: Elizabeth Warren (re)enters the chat

From: POLITICO Playbook - Monday Apr 18,2022 05:42 pm

Apr 18, 2022

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BREAKING — AP: “A federal judge in Florida has voided the national mask mandate covering airports, planes and other public travel.”

PROPHETS & KINGS — On Sunday, Maureen Dowd relayed a story from a new book by ARI RABIN-HAVT, a former top aide to Sen. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.), about the time Sanders met with former President BARACK OBAMA before the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries.

Obama reportedly told him: “Bernie, you are an Old Testament prophet — a moral voice for our party giving us guidance. Here is the thing, though. Prophets don’t get to be king. Kings have to make choices prophets don’t. Are you willing to make those choices?”

While Sanders lost to JOE BIDEN, he came out of the 2020 presidential primaries as the undisputed leader of the left after fending off a spry challenge from Massachusetts Sen. ELIZABETH WARREN. Back in Washington, as chair of the Budget Committee, Sanders became the author — and the face — of the most expansive version of the Democrats’ reconciliation bill. He had a lot of new followers, and the prophet mentality swept the Democratic Party — until December, when Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) abruptly killed the legislation. A lot of the kingly choices necessary to save it never got made.

All this time, Warren has kept a relatively low profile. But with Congress back in session next week, and Democrats facing a brutal political environment, Warren has returned with a plan to rescue her party in 2022.

Her core advice echoes what JOHN ANZALONE recently told us: Vulnerable Democratic candidates would benefit from passage of a “skinny” or “moderate” reconciliation bill.

“To put it bluntly: if we fail to use the months remaining before the elections to deliver on more of our agenda, Democrats are headed toward big losses in the midterms,” Warren writes in a NYT op-ed that was posted this morning.

Here’s her advice:

On reconciliation: Make “giant corporations pay their share to fund vital investments in combating climate change and lowering costs for families.” Of the long list of Dem reconciliation spending priorities, she mentions “clean energy, affordable child care, and universal pre-K.”

On corruption: “[M]embers of Congress and their spouses shouldn’t be allowed to own or trade individual stocks.” She has her own bipartisan plan she wants passed.

On inflation: “Beefing up regulators’ authority to end price-gouging, breaking up monopolies, and passing a windfall profits tax is a good start.”

And the executive actions she says Biden can and should take: canceling student debt, “lowering prescription drug prices,” “ensuring that more workers are eligible for overtime pay.”

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. JOHN FETTERMAN at the White House Easter Egg Roll, via Bloomberg’s Nancy Cook.

Good Monday afternoon.

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CONGRESS

GREAT SCOTT — WaPo’s Michael Scherer and Josh Dawsey profile NRSC Chair RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.), the member of Senate GOP leadership who’s also a thorn in the side of Senate GOP leadership — and he’s not backing down. “I’ve been up here for three years. Do you know how many people have come to me and asked me, before they vote, what my opinion is on something and whether it’s good for my state?” he tells them, in response to criticism of his policy agenda. “That would be zero.”

The story is packed with striking details, but here are a few that stood out to us: Scott maintains a rigorous, by-the-minute schedule; pores over metrics and fundraising at the NRSC, and adheres to a diet heavy on egg whites and fish. His policy proposals, especially raising taxes, led to a February meeting in which GOP senators “chastised him in round-robin fashion.” Critics grumble over how much of his fundraising goes to his own accounts. And they think he’s too focused on his own ambitions: “All this, for 4% in Iowa,” goes one popular joke in GOP circles.

— Meanwhile, on Tax Day, the White House put out a “fact sheet” this morning contrasting Biden’s tax plans with Scott’s (and painting the latter as representative of the entire GOP). And the DSCC is putting up billboards in Florida and Wisconsin saying, “Senate Republicans’ Plan: Raise Your Taxes.”

THE COVID AID FIGHT — As Congress gears up to dive back into the debate over passing a new round — possibility $10 billion — of additional funding to fight the pandemic, small businesses are warning that lawmakers shouldn’t repurpose unspent dollars to pay for it, WSJ’s Amara Omeokwe, Anne Steele and Natalie Andrews report . Owners argue that rescinding the money from other programs would rob small businesses of money they still need to scale back up and address pandemic-related debts. Among the advocates going on the record to oppose this pay-for: GARTH BROOKS.

COMPETING FOR COMPETES — The big semiconductor legislation aimed at domestic manufacturing and competition with China, which has passed the House and Senate in different forms, now has to be reconciled between the chambers. AP’s Kevin Freking has a helpful breakdown of what that will look like, beginning with the fact that “Senate Republicans are already digging in” and demanding significant concessions for their support. Among the areas of major disagreement: “supply chain issues, trade, immigration and climate change.”

THE WHITE HOUSE

COMING HOME — Despite fires raging around the world, the White House wants to refocus on domestic issues, emphasizing to voters that Biden feels their economic pain and touting the administration’s record ahead of the midterms, Laura Barrón-López and Jonathan Lemire report . On the agenda soon: “Biden will travel more inside the country and further stress that Russia’s invasion isn’t some far-off crisis but one with deep economic ramifications in the United States.”

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ALL POLITICS

POLL OF THE DAY — A new Nevada Independent/OH Predictive Insights finds Democratic Sen. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO ahead of Republican ADAM LAXALT by 8 points, 43% to 35%. She has a similar margin over Republican SAM BROWN. But there are warning signs for Dems: Biden’s approval rating in the state is 43%, compared to a 46% favorability rating for DONALD TRUMP. Overall, Cortez Masto “is in a vulnerable position” and has “to improve in rural Nevada to stay competitive,” the pollster tells Nevada Indy’s Humberto Sanchez.

CASH DASH — Fetterman still has a big money lead over Rep. CONOR LAMB in the state’s Democratic Senate primary, The Philly Inquirer’s Jonathan Tamari, Aseem Shukla and Julia Terruso report from the most recent filings. Fetterman has about twice as much money to spend as Lamb and his super PAC combined. That comes despite Lamb raising $1.74 million last quarter, his best showing yet. Fetterman raised $3.1 million in the same period. State rep. MALCOLM KENYATTA, meanwhile, pulled in just $306,000.

2022 WATCH — Zach Montellaro has a helpful breakdown of the secretary of state elections landscape this fall, an under-the-radar political battlefield with massive implications for the administration of elections and American democracy. The top tier of most competitive races: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota and Nevada.

BATTLE ON THE LEFT — This morning, we wrote about North Carolina progressives pulling their endorsement of congressional candidate VALERIE FOUSHEE over her acceptance of donations from AIPAC, despite the group’s support for Republicans who voted not to certify the 2020 election. In response, AIPAC spokesman MARSHALL WITTMANN sent in a statement reiterating the group’s support of Foushee: “It is entirely consistent with progressive values to stand with our democratic ally, Israel. Our active participation in the democratic process will not be deterred by ideological groups with highly partisan agendas.”

IT’S OFFICIAL — Infowars and ALEX JONES’ other businesses filed for bankruptcy, per Bloomberg.

TRUMP CARDS

ANNALS OF INFLUENCE — USA Today’s Maureen Groppe breaks down the list of lobbyists who were in touch with then-VP MIKE PENCE’s office in 2020. There were almost 800 — more than double the number that contacted his successor, KAMALA HARRIS, the following year.

POLICY CORNER

INFRASTRUCTURE YEAR — The Biden administration put out new guidance today requiring that most projects jumpstarted by the bipartisan infrastructure law use American-made steel, iron and other materials, AP’s Josh Boak reports. It’s an effort to bolster domestic manufacturing, though it also includes an opportunity for waivers from the requirement if U.S. capacity can’t meet demand.

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

ABORTION REALITY CHECK — Even before a forthcoming Supreme Court ruling or the implementation of new state restrictions, it already takes a long time to obtain an abortion in many parts of the country, FiveThirtyEight’s Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux reports in a new analysis. Texas’ near-total ban on the procedure last year increased demand in neighboring states, stretching wait times to receive an abortion to two to three weeks. And even in parts of blue states, it can take a week or more to get an appointment. “If Roe is overturned or restricted this year, many abortion providers will find themselves in a similar position,” she writes. Notably, the longer a person waits to get an abortion, the riskier the procedure can become.

— A new front for opponents of abortion rights: restricting medical school instruction about abortions. AP’s Lindsey Tanner reports that several states have moved or are taking steps to limit future doctors’ training in performing the procedure at publicly funded schools.

AILING AMERICA — WaPo’s Kyle Swenson has an afternoon read worth your time about the damaging effects of a food pantry closing in Nashville — and the broader struggle of nonprofits to stay afloat. “The country’s nonprofit infrastructure has been hit both by recent changes to the tax law that have altered donation patterns and by the stress of the pandemic and its economic aftershocks,” he reports. “Red flags have been going up across the nonprofit sector.”

FLOODING THE ZONE — Coastal Louisiana and Mississippi River communities are hoping money from the bipartisan infrastructure law will help them shore up their shores, protecting themselves from floods that are worsening with climate change, AP’s Michael Phillis reports from St. Louis. The money in many places will be a “badly needed” investment. But there are competing viewpoints about the best way to protect against floods, and it won’t necessarily be an easy process: “[C]ommunity groups and advocates fear smaller cities will struggle to navigate the maze of government programs and miss out on the rare chance to protect against rising waters and heavy rains.”

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WAR IN UKRAINE

LATEST ON THE GROUND …

— Four flights of U.S. military aid arrived in Ukraine on Sunday as part of the new $800 million tranche, with a fifth coming in the next day, the Pentagon said.

— Lviv suffered its first casualties of the war as Russian strikes killed at least seven in the western city, per Ukrainian authorities. More from USA Today

— That was part of a massive barrage of attacks across the country, Russia’s most vigorous assault in weeks, which they said hit more than 300 targets. That included a strike that killed 1 today in a residential area of Kharkiv, per the NYT.

— Russia’s delays in taking over Mariupol fully have “concerned” top Russian military leaders, while large portions of the city have been destroyed, per the latest British intelligence assessment out this morning.

— Ukrainian forces used cluster munitions, the weapons banned and widely denounced internationally that Russians have deployed during the war, NYT’s Thomas Gibbons-Neff and John Ismay find in Husarivka. “[T]he Ukrainians’ decision to saturate their own village with a cluster munition that has the capacity to haphazardly kill innocent people underscores their strategic calculation: This is what they needed to do to retake their country, no matter the cost.”

— Fléchettes, lethal darts that “are rarely seen or used in modern conflict,” littered an area in Bucha, WaPo’s Alex Horton reports.

THE PANDEMIC

COMING ATTRACTIONS — The White House announced this morning it will host a Global Covid-19 Summit along with Belize, Germany, Indonesia and Senegal on May 12. It was postponed from March and then April amid the war in Ukraine and congressional squabbles over pandemic funding. More from Reuters

JUDICIARY SQUARE

SCOTUS WATCH — A new filing asks the Supreme Court to review whether the SEC is allowed to impose gag orders when it settles cases, as it has done for the past half-century — or if forcing people to remain silent violates their First Amendment rights, NYT’s Adam Liptak reports . The high court will choose whether to hear the case later this year. “The justices grant review in very few cases, but the question this one presents may intrigue them, as lower courts have adopted differing approaches to so-called gag orders in settlement agreements with the government.”

PLAYBOOKERS

WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Suzanna Steele has been detailed to the office of the second gentleman as an engagement and policy adviser. She most recently was external affairs officer for the Unified Command Group of Operation Allies Welcome at DHS.

MEDIA MOVE — Retired Lt. Gen. Stephen Twitty is now an MSNBC military analyst.

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