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Presented by Invest in Our Land: The unofficial guide to official Washington. | | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels, Rachael Bade and Ryan Lizza | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | BUILDING THE NEW DEMOCRATIC COALITION — Today, in a first for any president or VP, KAMALA HARRIS will tour an abortion clinic when she visits a Planned Parenthood facility in Minnesota where the procedure is performed, NBC’s Yamiche Alcindor, Julie Tsirkin and Monica Alba scooped. TENDING THE OLD DEMOCRATIC COALITION — Ahead of a trip today to Michigan, President JOE BIDEN is moving to oppose the proposed sale of U.S. Steel to Japan’s Nippon Steel, AP’s Josh Boak reports this morning. Biden’s statement says “it is vital for it to remain an American steel company that is domestically owned and operated” but has no formal effect on the pending federal review process.
|  In meetings with his inner circle, President Joe Biden is somewhat obsessed with the issue of housing. | Jamie Kelter Davis for POLITICO | HOUSING FIRST — Five decades ago, when Biden was a lowly senator in his 30s, Sen. HERBERT HUMPHREY (D-Minn.) imparted some advice if he wanted to become a figure in national politics. “You have to pick an issue that becomes yours,” Humphrey said, according to Biden’s book “Promises to Keep.” “That’s how you demonstrate your bona fides. Don’t be a gadfly.” But what issue? There, too, Humphrey had thoughts. “You should become Mr. Housing. Housing is the future,” he told Biden. “You could be the leader of a whole new generation that provides decent housing in America for middle-class and lower-middle-class people and the poor.” Fast-forward a half-century: Biden is in the White House, and that long-ago advice seems to have taken hold. In meetings with his inner circle, Biden is somewhat obsessed with the issue, using briefings to press senior staff on housing affordability, quizzing aides on mortgage rates and rental costs and demanding details on the burden that inflation has placed on families’ monthly housing budgets, aides tell Eugene, Adam Cancryn and Katy O’Donnell in a new story out this morning. Biden’s personal preoccupation with the issue reflects an awareness that housing remains a key vulnerability in his administration’s yearslong fight to rein in inflation. And it’s a shortcoming that officials worry is weighing on consumer sentiment, depriving Biden of the political lift they assumed he'd get from the improving economy. “Progress has been made, but we need to make more progress. And I think the President’s plan will do just that.” White House chief of staff JEFF ZIENTS tells Playbook, calling housing “one of those expenses that people deal with every month or they see around them every day,” and it cuts across all demographics and geographies. Now, with the general election beginning in earnest, the White House is preparing a fresh push on the issue to show Americans that it shares their frustrations with high housing costs and is doing something concrete about it. THE POLICY: Just this week, the admin has pitched a (1) suite of expanded tax incentives and new funding that would make it easier to build and afford housing, (2) pushed bulked-up tax credits that could persuade existing homeowners to sell their starter homes, (3) called for expanded rental assistance, (4) extended help for lower-income buyers with their down payments, and (5) launched another fund that would set aside $20 billion for localities to boost their housing supply. The housing crunch is one of the most complex, vexing challenges facing the country — and cannot be fixed quickly considering:
- The nation’s supply of available homes has deteriorated in the wake of years of under-building and a boost in demand during the pandemic.
- Younger people are buying homes at a far slower rate than prior generations, forcing them to remain in the rental market.
- Mortgage rates are at 15-year highs, exacerbating the crisis on both ends.
- Existing homeowners fear selling and forfeiting their much-lower mortgage rates.
Biden’s policy ideas require legislative action, and it’s, well, unlikely that Congress will pass any consequential housing legislation before the election. That, in turn, means there is little Biden can do before November that would reap any political dividends. What is left for Biden to do on the issue? Use the bully pulpit to sell, sell, sell his message. THE MESSAGE: For months, the administration has heard from governors, advocates and other lawmakers that they can’t just focus on the policy. “One of the things that they asked was that we acknowledge in our communications that rent is a real issue for people. Sometimes, you get caught up in policy discussions in D.C., and you're like, ‘Well, that's obvious. Is it really a thing [you have] to say?’” a senior Biden economic aide told us. “But people want to hear that from us.” Biden aides and allies believe that, over time, they’ll be able to neutralize their vulnerability on the issue and turn it back around on Trump — whom, they allege, hasn’t offered any housing platform and during his first term tried to limit affordable housing in a move that was criticized as a form of segregation. “It's going to be a contrast issue,” MATT BARRETTO, a pollster close to the campaign, told Playbook. “I think Trump is going to be seen as a real estate billionaire who takes advantage of people. So I like that contrast message even more in September and October.” Good Thursday morning. Happy Pi Day! Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from Invest in Our Land: In 2022, Congress invested $20 billion in conservation funding to protect America's family farms. Now, they could roll back that investment. These funds help strengthen family businesses, lower costs, and increase profits, but most importantly, they protect the future of American farms.
Congress: Protect conservation funding, and keep farming viable for generations.
Protect Conservation Funding. | | | HAPPENING TODAY — “Trump expected to attend hearing to seek dismissal of classified documents case,” by ABC’s Katherine Faulders, Peter Charalambous and Laura Romero: “In addition to Trump, his co-defendants in the case, aide WALT NAUTA and Mar-a-Lago property manager CARLOS DE OLIVEIRA, are both expected to attend the hearing.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — This morning, the Laborers’ International Union of North America is launching the first ad in a seven-figure campaign aimed at union members and households in three industrial states critical for Biden’s reelection: Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The pro-Biden ad highlights three LIUNA members from the Saginaw region of Michigan, which Biden is visiting later today (the three members are scheduled to be in attendance). In the ad, the men are shown clad in camouflage and blaze orange, toting rifles while out hunting and driving heavy construction equipment during a voiceover testimonial touting Biden’s infrastructure bill and the CHIPS Act. Watch the 30-second spot WHAT COULD GO WRONG? — “Biden administration discussing using Guantanamo Bay to process possible influx of Haitian migrants,” by CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez
| | | | A message from Invest in Our Land:   Protect Conservation Funding. | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate will meet at 10 a.m. to take up DENNIS HANKINS’ nomination as U.S. ambassador to Haiti, with a vote at noon, and then NICOLE BERNER’s judicial nomination, with a cloture vote at 1:45 p.m. HHS Secretary XAVIER BECERRA will testify before the Finance Committee at 10 a.m. UAW President SHAWN FAIN will testify before the HELP Committee at 10 a.m. about a 32-hour workweek. The House is out. 3 things to watch …
- FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: As the push to get Ukraine aid to the House floor via discharge petition heats up, Republicans for Ukraine today is launching a new ad aimed at getting GOP lawmakers to sign on. The 60-second spot features Republican voters talking about the importance of standing up to VLADIMIR PUTIN; it will run for two weeks on cable news networks and digitally in the districts of 10 key House Republicans. As of this morning, one petition that would tee up the Senate-passed aid bill has 177 Democratic signatures and no Republicans, while a different one that includes border provisions now has six moderate Democrats and eight Republicans signed on. Watch the ad
- A month has now elapsed since the House impeached DHS Secretary ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS (h/t Jamie Dupree), but Speaker MIKE JOHNSON still has yet to send the articles over to the Senate to start his trial. The 30 days Johnson has waited since the initial vote now outstrips the 28 days then-Speaker NANCY PELOSI sat on Trump’s first impeachment back in late 2019 into 2020, and with Republicans pledging to wait until fiscal 2024 appropriations are done — or longer — it could be weeks more still.
- Five years ago, North Carolina Rep. MARK WALKER appeared headed for a steady climb up the House Republican leadership ladder. He served as GOP conference vice chair and was a mainstay of Speaker’s Lobby gaggles. Then he was redistricted out of his seat, launched a failed Senate run in 2022, launched a 2024 governor campaign, switched to a House comeback bid and, as of yesterday, dropped those plans to accept a position with the Trump presidential campaign — hinting another congressional comeback bid might lay ahead. (Incidentally, the guy who replaced him in leadership? One Mike Johnson.)
At the White House Biden will leave Milwaukee for Saginaw, Michigan, where he’ll take part in a campaign event before returning to the White House. He’s expected to use his Saginaw speech to knock Trump comments on cuts to Medicare and Social Security. Retiring Rep. DAN KILDEE (D-Mich.) will appear with the president. More from AP on crucial Saginaw County VP KAMALA HARRIS will leave Washington for Minnesota’s Twin Cities, where she’ll talk to the press as part of her abortion rights tour and later speak at a campaign event in St. Paul. She’ll return to D.C. in the evening.
| | | | CALIFORNIA CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just about the weather. It's also about how we do business and create new policies, especially in California. So, we have something cool for you: our California Climate newsletter. It's not just climate or science chat, it's your daily cheat sheet to understanding how the legislative landscape around climate change is shaking up industries across the Golden State. Cut through the jargon and get the latest developments in California as lawmakers and industry leaders adapt to the changing climate. Subscribe now. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 2024 WATCH
|  Pat McCrory is resigning as national co-chair of No Labels. | Bryan Anderson/AP Photo | SPOILER ALERT — Today is another big day for No Labels: The centrist group angling to shake up the general election will announce its framework for selecting a ticket, Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser previews. JOE LIEBERMAN told WaPo’s Michael Scherer that No Labels could still decide against a bid if they decide it’ll help elect Trump — and they plan to put a conservative or Republican atop the ticket to hurt Trump more than Biden. As they roll out that process, though, No Labels lost a prominent player when national co-chair PAT McCRORY, a Republican former governor of North Carolina, said he’d resign, WSJ’s Ken Thomas scooped. He said he wanted to spend more time with family. Another big third-party player, ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., announced that he’ll reveal his running mate at an event March 26 in Oakland, California. With AARON RODGERS among the confirmed contenders for the spot, meanwhile, the NFL star is starting to come in for harsher scrutiny from the political press. It turns out his flirtation with conspiracy theories goes beyond anti-vaccine misinformation. CNN’s Pamela Brown and Jake Tapper report that years ago, Rodgers fell for — and shared — “deranged conspiracy theories about the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting not being real.” Needless to say, that could be a significant campaign liability for Kennedy. More top reads:
JUDICIARY SQUARE DAY OF THE HUNTER — A judge has set HUNTER BIDEN’s felony gun trial to start potentially the week of June 3 — though she has yet to rule on various motions, including his team’s bid to get the case thrown out, per CBS’ Robert Legare. AMERICA AND THE WORLD
|  USAID Administrator Samantha Power urged Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu “to improve compliance with international humanitarian law.” | Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images | MIDDLE EAST LATEST — As the U.S. tries to prevent Israel from devastating Rafah, senior American officials told Israel that they would support a targeted campaign in the city focused on specific top Hamas targets instead of a major invasion, Alex Ward and Lara Seligman report. Israeli officials say some kind of operation in Rafah is inevitable. But the U.S. doesn’t see Israel readying for a big war effort there yet, and the Biden administration is hoping they can influence Israel to conduct more limited counterterrorism strikes. At a POLITICO summit yesterday, USAID Administrator SAMANTHA POWER revealed that she urged Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU “to improve compliance with international humanitarian law.” The Israel-Hamas war could shadow what’s usually a big holiday for Biden: St. Patrick’s Day. Irish leaders, who are big supporters of the Palestinian cause, “may convey views widely held among their constituents that the United States should stop arming Israel” when they visit the White House tomorrow, WaPo’s Amanda Ferguson and Marisa Bellack report from Belfast. This morning at 10 a.m., Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER will deliver a big speech on getting to peace and a two-state solution. Elsewhere in the region: U.S. investigators are looking into how Hamas used cryptocurrency to help finance its operations ahead of its Oct. 7 attack, WSJ’s Ian Talley and Angus Berwick scooped. … In January, officials from the U.S. and Iran met indirectly in secret as American officials tried to convince Tehran to get Houthi rebels to stop attacking Red Sea ships, FT’s Felicia Schwartz and Andrew England revealed.
| | | | A message from Invest in Our Land:   Protect Conservation Funding. | | | MORE POLITICS STILL CALLING RACES IN CALI — The latest batches of votes counted in last week’s California congressional primaries finally produced some more AP race calls for which two contenders will head to the general. Among the notable names: Democratic former Rep. GIL CISNEROS advanced in the 31st District. Democrat RUDY SALAS advanced to a rematch with GOP Rep. DAVID VALADAO in the 22nd District, a sigh of relief for Dems who’d worried about getting boxed out there. And Republican MIKE BOUDREAUX got the go-ahead in KEVIN McCARTHY’s old district to battle fellow Republican VINCE FONG in a special election, adding “another layer of intrigue” to what had looked like Fong’s coronation, Jeremy White reports. SO MUCH FOR THAT — As a new team overhauls the RNC, the GOP is slashing a program to have community centers for outreach to various minority groups across the country, The Daily Beast’s Roger Sollenberger reports. Supporters of the community centers at the RNC call it a poor strategic move as Republicans make inroads with people of color. WHAT THE DSCC IS READING — “Wisconsin GOP Senate candidate ERIC HOVDE invested tens of millions of dollars in insurance companies that operated in the U.S. but were based in Bermuda, and therefore benefited from not having to pay U.S. corporate taxes,” Daniel Lippman reports in POLITICO Influence. MAKING CLAIRE McCASKILL PROUD — “Dems launch 11th-hour meddling operation in Ohio GOP Senate primary,” by Ally Mutnick: “Duty and Country PAC, a group affiliated with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, is going on air with a TV ad that heavily touts [BERNIE] MORENO’s support from Trump and calls him ‘too conservative for Ohio.’” VALLEY TALK
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Trump critics say his flip-flop on the bill that could lead to a TikTok ban is a “mirror image” of four years ago. | Jamie Kelter Davis for POLITICO | TIKTOK ON THE CLOCK — Trump critics say his flip-flop on the bill that could lead to a TikTok ban, which came after billionaire JEFFREY YASS bent his ear on the subject, is a “mirror image” of four years ago, when Trump flip-flopped on TikTok after billionaire LARRY ELLISON bent his ear on the subject, Brendan Bordelon reports this morning. While some Democrats worry that banning TikTok could backfire with young voters, as Axios’ Andrew Solender details, experts are digging skeptically into the details of what the bill would — and wouldn’t — actually accomplish. ABC’s Selina Wang finds that the legislation would be more symbol than panacea in tackling the privacy and information issues rampant across many social media platforms. And NYT’s David Sanger reports that the bill goes only partway on the big security concern for TikTok, which “has far less to do with who owns it than it does with who writes the code and algorithms that make TikTok tick.” POLICY CORNER THE TAXMAN COMETH — “Biden’s 15% Corporate Minimum Tax Hits KKR, Blackstone, Whirlpool in First Year,” by WSJ’s Richard Rubin CLIMATE FILES — “Sierra Club sues SEC over climate reporting rule,” by Lesley Clark and Declan Harty
| | | | Easily connect with the right N.Y. State influencers and foster the right relationships to champion your policy priorities. POLITICO Pro. Inside New York. Learn more. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | The tooth is out there: Kristi Noem is now facing a lawsuit and political blowback at home over her odd video praising a Texas cosmetic dentist. Elon Musk, Sylvester Stallone, Martha Stewart, Michael Milken and Rupert Murdoch are getting, um, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Leadership Awards from the Opperman Foundation. Marc Molinaro became the first Republican on the Hill to get behind Democrats’ bill protecting IVF with federal safeguards. Ron DeSantis is feuding with Chaya Raichik. Don Lemon’s planned show on X was canceled following an interview with Elon Musk — and a potential legal battle will be complicated by the fact there was apparently no signed contract between the two parties. IN MEMORIAM — “Dorie Ladner, dauntless civil rights activist, dies at 81,” by WaPo’s Emily Langer: “Ms. Ladner joined and led marches and sit-ins, mounted voter registration drives, and helped organize events including the 1963 March on Washington.” OUT AND ABOUT — Shéhérazade Semsar-de Boisséson hosted a party at Marea in NYC on Tuesday night to celebrate Frank McCourt and Michael Casey’s new book, “Our Biggest Fight” ($28). SPOTTED: Joanna Coles, Ben Collins, Max Hodges, Alex Koppelman, Jonathan Martin and Betsy Fischer Martin, Katherine Maher, Andrew McLaughlin, Patrick McGinnis, Clifford Press, Ann Sarnoff, Noah Shachtman, Stanley Shuman, Ben Smith, Alessandra Stanley, Joseph Shenker, Lucas Wittmann, Foster Wright, Kevin Worth and Tara Palmeri. — SPOTTED at ClearPath’s 10-year celebration of clean energy innovation Tuesday night at the Library of Congress: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Reps. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), Bob Latta (R-Ohio), Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), Randy Weber (R-Texas), John Curtis (R-Utah), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Greg Murphy (R-N.C.), Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), Carol Miller (R-W.Va.), Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), Garret Graves (R-La.) and Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio). — Jeffrey Wright delivered the 35th annual Nancy Hanks lecture on arts and public policy at the Kennedy Center on Tuesday night, produced by Americans for the Arts. SPOTTED: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Reps. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) and Yadira Caraveo (D-Colo.), Ben Folds, Symone Sanders-Townsend, Edgar Smith, Nolen Bivens, Nina Tunceli, Lyndon Boozer, Nancy Stephens, Tanya Lombard, Yebbie Watkins, Tasia Jackson and Paxton Baker. — The Australian Embassy hosted a party for Ernest Scheyder’s new book, “The War Below” ($30), yesterday evening. With lots of critical minerals and “rock policy” folks in attendance, it was sponsored by Todd Malan, Judy Brown, Leslie Arnold and Andrew Forrest’s Wyloo Metals at the copper-clad embassy. SPOTTED: Australian Ambassador Kevin Rudd, Peter Stahley, Anna Fendley, Ryan Modlin, Colin Marsh, Scott Gemperline, Geoff Mason, Ben Steinberg, Mary Anne Sullivan, Kristan Straub, Chris Phalen and Andrew Jory. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Rep. Josh Harder (D-Calif.) and Pam Harder, principal for solution design at Guild Education, welcomed Karina Gitanjali Harder on Monday. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) (4-0) … Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon … State’s Jimmy Loomis … POLITICO’s Campbell Rawlins … Bill McGinley of the Vogel Group … Faith McPherson of National Public Affairs … Cicero’s Rory Brosius … The Atlantic’s Christine Emba … Andrea Bozek of Big Dog Strategies … AEI’s Kevin Kosar … White House’s Deb Jospin … T.A. Hawks of Monument Advocacy … Lily Adams … Eric Reath of Rep. Lloyd Smucker’s (R-Pa.) office … Kelsey Cooper of Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) office … Moderna’s John Lepore … Georgetown’s Lauren Mullins … Virginia Dem Chair Susan Swecker … former Rep. Bill Jefferson (D-La.) … Amy Travieso Loveng … Rick Grafmeyer … Kathy Wright … Kei Helm … John Connolly of Council for a Strong America … Margita Thompson … Ashley Simmons … David Sadava Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath. Corrections: Tuesday’s Playbook misspelled the name of Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.). Yesterday’s Playbook misspelled the name of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
| | | | A message from Invest in Our Land: In 2022, Congress invested $20 billion in America’s farmers and ranchers. These funds supported land conservation and profits for future generations of farmers. Now, Congress is considering rolling back this $20 billion investment in the upcoming Farm Bill, putting crucial programs out of reach for thousands of family farms. Protecting this $20 billion investment in conservation programs ensures more of America's farmers and ranchers can access these programs, and with them, the tools and supplies they need to power our nation’s agricultural economy.
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