BIDEN READIES FEDERAL VACCINE REQUIREMENTS — The president will roll out a new directive today requiring federal employees to get Covid-19 vaccines or be subjected to regular testing — marking a significant escalation in his administration’s effort to jumpstart inoculations nationwide. What to expect: The new measures would require the vast majority of federal employees to attest that they’ve been vaccinated against the virus. Those that haven’t would need to submit to weekly testing with the possibility of facing additional restrictions, said four people familiar with the plans. Biden officials were still finalizing the policy on Wednesday. But under the plan, federal agencies would get leeway to go even further than an attestation — with some, including HHS, mulling the possibility of following the VA’s lead in forcing certain employees to show proof of vaccination. Biden is expected to announce the move during a speech at 4 p.m. ET, with agencies like OMB distributing the specifics throughout the government afterward. The requirement is perhaps the highest profile of several recent measures aimed at slowing the surge of Covid-19 cases and boosting the vaccination rate. And in addition to incentivizing federal workers, officials are quietly hoping for an outsized ripple effect: Already, some states, localities and businesses are implementing similar rules, and many more could follow suit once the federal government sets the precedent. One thing it’s not: A mandate — a point every administration official PULSE spoke to this week was eager to hammer home. That’s in part because the White House is wary of triggering political blowback in GOP strongholds that are both the least vaccinated and most suspicious of any suggestion of mandates. But it’s also the truth; under the attestation rules, people wouldn't need to prove they’re vaccinated, just say they are. That could limit the measures’ effectiveness among the Americans most resistant to taking the vaccines, as long as they’re more opposed to the shots than they are to lying. A BIG FIRST STEP FOR SENATE’s INFRASTRUCTURE DEAL — The Senate advanced a bipartisan infrastructure deal Wednesday night, securing a major win for Biden and the centrist lawmakers who spent weeks negotiating the agreement. But it’s a victory that could be short-lived, POLITICO’s Marianne LeVine and Burgess Everett report. The legislation’s details have yet to be finalized, and Republicans are already signaling they’ll want amendment votes and last-minute input. The end result will also need to hit a 60-vote threshold to close debate. Senators indicated they could work through the weekend on the proposal, as they try to resolve final issues. And even if they manage to get it through the upper chamber, an uncertain future awaits the bill in the House — where Speaker Nancy Pelosi has kept open the possibility of further amending it. Also a winner in the deal: pharmacy benefit managers and providers. The infrastructure bill would delay a Trump-era Medicare rebate rule for three years, said a source familiar with the matter. That would rack up roughly $49 billion in savings, according to a list of the pay-fors obtained by POLITICO’s David Lim. — The bill would also repurpose $205 billion in certain unused coronavirus relief dollars. The document didn’t specify where the money would come from, leading to confusion, though a source familiar with the matter said there wouldn’t be cuts to the provider relief fund, a win for the hospital and nursing home lobbies. — It also saves $3 billion by aiming to reduce Medicare spending on discarded medications from large, single-dose drug vials. | 
