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 | Email Max Last week, faced with lingering news about inflation impacting the costs of consumer goods, the White House tried to go on the offensive. In a carefully-scripted rollout that included a wonky blog post, $1 billion aid package, and a presidential roundtable with farmers and ranchers, President JOE BIDEN pointed the finger at large meat processing corporations for artificially inflating prices during the pandemic—what the White House called “pandemic profiteering.” The move was applauded by anti-monopoly advocates. But when it came to immediately dealing with inflation, it was dismissed by some Democratic economic commentators as little more than political theater. One of those commentators just happens to work in the administration. “The White House pinned the blame for rising meat prices on the meat processing oligopoly…But are corporate profits even really to blame for the rise in inflation? In short, no,” JOEY POLITANO , an analyst at the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, wrote in his economic policy-focused Substack, Apricitas (“Apricitas is the Latin word for sunshine and sunniness. It’s a name that embodies the ethos of this blog: positivity, optimism, and a commitment to seeking truth through evidence,” he explains). In a Twitter direct message, Politano, 23, told West Wing Playbook that “in my personal capacity, [I] support the admin's antitrust efforts both within the meatpacking industry and more broadly. I just don't believe they will make a meaningful dent in headline inflation.” He has also criticized the Commerce Department for doubling tariffs on Canadian lumber “to the detriment of homebuilders and homebuyers” and dubbed the current inflation “red hot.” Economic punditry is everywhere, and virtually everyone following politics these days has a take to share. Still, it’s unusual for civil servants in the executive branch— known mostly for keeping their heads down and rarely speaking on the record—to publish their own analyses on the administration for which they work. And, to a small degree, it shows a new hurdle that administrations now have to deal with. In an era where everyone can be a publisher, even the bureaucrats are posting. The BLS did not respond to a request for comment. “People tend to underestimate the first amendment protections federal employees get. I've even done a couple podcasts/interviews,” Politano told us. “No real internal rules. As long as I put the disclaimer in, use publicly available data/sources, don't use government time/resources, and don't make any money I can basically write whatever I want.” Politano graduated from George Washington University in 2018 with a focus in economics and political science. He joined the Peace Corps in Uganda in the summer of 2019—a stint that was cut short in 2020 due to Covid-19. He also says that despite disagreements with components of the administration’s economic policies, he’s “a Democrat through and through.” The White House declined to comment. But Politano is on the radar of at least some of the White House economics team: The Council of Economic Adviser’s HEATHER BOUSHEY is among the 6,388 followers he has on Twitter. He also enjoys an audience among some other prominent progressive economists, like the Roosevelt Institute’s MIKE KONCZAL. “I benefit from reading all the things he writes,” Konczal told us. “He reminds me a lot of the peak of the econ-blogosphere during the Great Recession—that energy and detail.” Politano did express one regret about launching Apricitas last year: “In retrospect I should have picked an easier-to-pronounce Latin word.” Do you work in the Biden administration? Are you in touch with the White House? Are you DIERDRE A. SCHIFELING, advocacy director at the Office of Political Strategy and Outreach? We want to hear from you — and we’ll keep you anonymous. Email us at westwingtips@politico.com or you can text/Signal Alex at 8183240098. | 
