Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With Allie Bice Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Tina Commerce Secretary GINA RAIMONDO is steadily becoming one of the administration’s secret weapons on the Hill, particularly among Republicans and business-friendly Democrats. The former Democratic governor of Rhode Island emerged from the bipartisan infrastructure talks as a favorite of some of the Senate negotiators. And she’s expected to continue her lobbying of lawmakers on the House side as the chamber prepares to soon take up the narrow infrastructure bill and the budget resolution that will kickstart the reconciliation process. The latter package will contain the rest of Biden’s economic plans, including roughly $3.5 trillion for elder care, child care, paid family leave and efforts to combat climate change. “She's been sort of a hidden player,” said Republican Sen. SUSAN COLLINS of Maine. Collins regularly texted with Raimondo and Sen. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-N.H.) throughout the bipartisan talks, as the trio focused on hashing out differences over expanding access to high speed internet. “She brings a very practical governor's approach to the issues.” Raimondo’s budding relationships with lawmakers are just one sign of the secretary’s growing influence in Washington. Inside the administration, officials have told West Wing Playbook that they believe Raimondo is positioning herself to replace Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN if she leaves after the 2022 midterms. She is a regular on business-oriented Bloomberg TV and CNBC and has tried to help shape the administration’s approach to China. However, sources close to the secretary disputed the idea that she’s angling for the Treasury job. And one source close to the White House said they haven’t interpreted Raimondo as gunning for any other position, but as doing her job well. Raimondo has strong allies in Biden’s inner circle: Biden adviser MIKE DONILON and his brother TOM DONILON, both Rhode Island-ers, were present at Raimondo’s swearing in. And Raimondo’s Hill politicking has been buoyed by her staff: Her chief of staff was formerly the longtime chief to Sen. MARK WARNER (D-Va.) and her head of legislative affairs was previously a Senate Commerce Committee staffer. Moderate Senate Republicans on the Hill involved in the infrastructure talks consider her an honest broker. One White House official said people in the administration often say Raimondo is “fluent in Republican.” “If there were an ambassadorship for Republicans on the Hill she would be the career diplomat bringing the salesmanship,” the official said. Sen. Shaheen described Raimondo as someone who considers it necessary to work across the aisle — a sentiment the Commerce secretary shares with President JOE BIDEN. But Shaheen added that if the infrastructure bill is signed into law, “people are going to be watching” how well Raimondo carries out its provisions. “I'm going to be watching to see if we can implement this bill in the way that all of us who worked so hard to get it done want to see” Shaheen said, referring to the more than $40 billion in grants the Commerce Department will be responsible for dispersing to states for broadband network deployments. On the House side, Raimondo is now focusing on the elements of the reconciliation package that boost funding for home health aides and child care workers. Raimondo and other White House officials have been hitting the phones in recent days to pressure hesitant House Democrats to fall in line behind the White House and Democratic leadership’s two-track plan to pass the reconciliation and infrastructure packages. The argument from administration officials, according to multiple House Democratic aides: the items in reconciliation are popular and will deliver more immediate relief to Americans than what’s in the traditional infrastructure bill. To date, Raimondo has held dozens of meetings with 52 senators and 61 House members and has also met with multiple congressional committees and caucuses, the Commerce Department said. As she helped negotiate the infrastructure deal in the Senate, Raimondo also started building relationships with Speaker NANCY PELOSI (D-Calif.), Rep. ROSA DeLAURO (D-Conn.) and Rep. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-Mich.), focusing on care services and women in the workforce. Do you work in the Biden administration? Are you in touch with the White House? Are you EVA KEMP? We want to hear from you — and we’ll keep you anonymous: westwingtips@politico.com. Or if you want to stay really anonymous send us a tip through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram, or Whatsapp here. | 
