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 White House director of public engagement CEDRIC RICHMOND spent part of his day today promoting a little-noticed provision in the Democrats' massive social spending bill. The Build Back Better framework includes $5 billion in funding for community violence intervention programs — or CVI as they’re called — which remain a focal point and potentially the only measurable achievement of President JOE BIDEN’s strategy to combat the country’s gun violence epidemic. The CVI funding represents just a small slice of the $1.75 trillion social spending and climate package. But it’s an essential lifeline for the programs. State and local governments have been able to use $350 billion in funding for a variety of public safety strategies through Democrats’ American Rescue Plan that passed in the spring. That money has been doled out to cities and states to use at their discretion to hire more police officers and invest in other measures proven to reduce crime, like the violence interruption programs. Chicago, for example, received $1.9 billion to fight a rise in gun violence that has already killed more than 650 people this year. The White House says that the intervention efforts around the country have been shown to reduce violence by using trusted messengers to work directly with people most likely to commit gun violence. A Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence report that the White House cited says the program has a documented association with homicide reductions of between 30 and 60 percent. But there’s a key difference in the BBB framework, which Richmond pointed out on the call. “With the ARP money, mayors will oversee those programs and they’ll choose the investment. But this is important to us so we’re going to run it out of our shop in terms of the federal government making sure that people get access to the funding,” Richmond said. Cities and states haven’t had the best track record in distributing funds from the American Rescue Plan for other domestic programs. As KATY O’DONNELL has reported, money for rent relief has faced massive bottlenecks at the local level due to a variety of factors — local officials’ fears of being singled out for awarding funds to the wrong people, for one, as well as the fact that millions of tenants and landlords were not even aware of the emergency rental assistance program, much less how to apply for it. With Congress stalemated on new gun restrictions and Biden’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms having withdrawn thanks in large part to opposition from pro-gun groups, the White House can’t risk a similar scenario on one of its signature efforts to combat gun violence. On the call today, Richmond seemed assured that the intervention programs will get funded as part of the social spending legislation, which Democrats are looking to pass on a party line vote. “Violence intervention curbs gun violence, and we are going to fund it, and we’re serious about it,” Richmond said. “And so yes, do we want to do more gun safety measures and sensible gun reform? Absolutely. But in the meantime, we’re going to go into these communities and help these communities stop gun violence by empowering trusted voices and people with lived experiences to do it.” What’s notable about Richmond’s call, however, is not just the substance of it, but it’s timing too. The White House has been trying to sell the bigger elements of the Build Back Better agenda. Today’s conversation appears to be part of a broader effort to rally support from the other constituencies who have more narrow interests in the twin spending bills. And it’s coming right after the party’s stinging losses in Virginia and an unexpectedly close gubernatorial contest in New Jersey. One prominent super PAC operative told us the newfound urgency is essential to avoid an ugly midterm election in 2022. “They gotta pass something by the end of the year,” the operative said. “We’ve talked about all these wonderful things, whether it’s in Build Back Better or reconciliation or not, whether its voting rights, or climate or prescription drugs or paid leave, it’s great. Let’s just keep fucking making a wish list of things that we wish would happen and not get one of them done. You have to be able to run on something. We have not had anything to run on.” Do you work in the Biden administration? Are you in touch with the White House? Are you CATHERINE OAKAR, special assistant to the president for community public health and disparities? We want to hear from you — and we’ll keep you anonymous: westwingtips@politico.com. Or if you want to stay really anonymous s end us a tip through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram, or Whatsapp here. Or you can text/Signal Alex at 8183240098. | 
