This is bowling. There are rules.

From: POLITICO West Wing Playbook - Tuesday May 16,2023 09:53 pm

May 16, 2023

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There is no shortage of iconic places inside the White House: from the Oval Office to the Lincoln Bedroom, to the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room.

But when it comes to hosting visitors, there is one place inside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue that seems to be particularly high in demand: the place where folks go to bowl.

An absurd number of people are visiting the Harry S. Truman Bowling Alley. In January alone, 1,100 people went there, according to the most recent White House visitor log. In December, 1,425 people visited. That averages out to 45 bowling alley guests per day.

Bowling alley visitors — who must be invited by a staffer — make up a relatively small fraction of the White House’s overall foot traffic (there were 34,734 visitor entries in January and 87,061 in December). But even still, the Biden administration has a clear fondness for bowling. For comparison, just 759 guests visited the bowling alley for the entire year of 2014, according to archived visitor logs from the Obama administration.

White House staffers say that the bowling alley’s popularity skyrocketed largely due to pent up demand from Covid. For the first 18 months of the administration, staffers didn’t have traditional White House receptions or events to which they could invite friends and family. Now, with restrictions lifted, they’re eager to show off their workplace.

Reservations for the bowling alley open up a month in advance and it’s typically a scramble to secure a slot. Staffers are free to use the space for both work events and personal use. Some people reserve the space for team-building events, while others use it to hang out with friends or to host birthday parties for their kids.

“Staffers appreciate the ability to share a piece of the White House that most people don’t get to see with their families and friends,” said one White House employee. “Spots get scooped up quickly, which makes people a lot more excited when they’re able to secure a time.”

The Biden White House has also used the bowling alley as a form of soft diplomacy with lawmakers, inviting congressional members and senior Hill staff to bowl nearly every week. At least 16 House members and one senator have done so this year, according to an administration official. Another 10 members were invited but declined. About 450 Hill staffers have bowled.

Biden staffers also make a point to invite outside groups who come to the White House for official events to visit the bowling alley. The lanes are viewed internally as a way to strengthen relationships with important stakeholders and to promote “core Biden hospitality,” said another White House official. For example, before attending an East Room reception Tuesday afternoon in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month, Jewish influencers were invited to use the bowling alley.

There’s an occasional celebrity spotting, too. The weekend of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, actors SOPHIA BUSH and BRADLEY WHITFORD were invited to the bowling alley. Visitor logs also show that JOHN MCCARTHY, special assistant to the president and senior adviser to the counselor to the president, hosted a group in November that included Irish Ambassador GERALDINE BYRNE NASON, British Ambassador KAREN PIERCE, former Biden campaign manager GREG SCHULTZ and media consultant TAMMY HADDAD, as well as some of McCarthy’s family members.

But despite the fanfare, those who have bowled at the White House admit that the space isn’t all that special. It’s in a basement with very low ceilings and fluorescent overhead lighting. There are only two lanes and they were built in the 1940s and need updating. The area is incredibly small and can’t fit more than about 20 people.

“It’s cool because it’s exclusive,” said a former Biden administration official. “But the bowling alley isn’t really modern so it gets stuck a lot. I’d never turn down an invite, but Bowlero is way better.”

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POTUS PUZZLER

With help from the White House Historical Association

Which president’s pup became a canine MGM movie star?

(Answer at bottom.)

The Oval

HOPE HE PURCHASED TRAVEL INSURANCE: President JOE BIDEN said he will cut short his trip overseas to deal with the debt ceiling negotiations that are quickly hitting a crisis point. Biden still plans to attend the G-7 meeting in Japan, but he now will return on Sunday, skipping a planned swing to Papua New Guinea and Australia. Biden was set to be the first sitting president to visit the former.

The news broke as Biden was wrapping up an Oval Office meeting with congressional leaders. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters afterwards that the “structure” of the negotiations had improved, but said that Republicans and Democrats remain far apart on a potential deal. McCarthy also said that Biden designated counselor to the president STEVE RICCHETTI and Office of Management and Budget Director SHALANDA YOUNG to represent the White House in direct talks with McCarthy’s team. Our ADAM CANCRYN and JENNIFER HABERKORN have more.

WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: This WaPo opinion piece by NATASHA SARIN and MARK J. MAZUR arguing that “House Republicans’ newfound fiscal responsibility isn’t all it’s cracked up to be: Their debt ceiling demands include a proposal that will balloon the debt — and by much more than previously understood.” White House senior communications adviser for economic messaging ROB FRIEDLANDER tweeted out the piece Tuesday morning. The White House press office also emailed out the piece.

WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by The Atlantic’s RUSSELL BERMAN about how Biden “already caved” on the debt ceiling by negotiating with Republicans in the first place. “For months, the president’s ironclad position has been that the debt ceiling is not a bargaining chip.… But Biden himself has dropped the pretense that his weeks-long budget discussions with the GOP have not revolved around the debt ceiling,” Berman writes. “Biden has come to the table with default in the balance, and he’s negotiating on the GOP’s terms.”

EAT YOUR CARBS TONIGHT, Y’ALL: Nearly two dozen administration officials are set to lace up their sneaks and take part in Wednesday’s three-mile Capital Challenge. They include White House deputy chief of staff NATALIE QUILLIAN and deputy Cabinet secretary DAN KOH, captaining the “Ministry for the Future” team, as well as assistant press secretaries MICHAEL KIKUKAWA and ROBYN PATTERSON, who are leading team “Briefing Vroom.” Keep an eye on the “Faster Than Competition” team led by FTC Commissioner REBECCA KELLY SLAUGHTER — last year’s fastest participant was the FTC’s PETER RINDFUSS, who finished in 15:19.

Other participants from the Hill include Sens. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) and KYRSTEN SINEMA (I-Ariz.) whose 23:03 time last year made her the fastest female lawmaker. Lauren and Eun will be out there (Sam, one of mankind’s least capable runners, was an 11th-hour flake) with our HAILEY FUCHS, who’s captaining the POLITICO squad, “This Team Was Granted Anonymity to Run Freely.” Other contenders for best team name: “Fast Brevity” (Axios) and “Sally BuzzSpeed” (Washington Post).

The fact that the race is coinciding with presidential travel abroad has also affected some teams, in different ways — Eli being in Japan for the G-7 should bring up our team’s overall score; but the absence of the NYT’s fleet-footed JIM TANKERSLEY, who’s also on that trip, could hurt Team NYT (“News That’s Fit to Sprint”), captained by the swift and svelte REID J. EPSTEIN.

BY THE NUMBERS: The president’s annual financial disclosure report was released Monday, and WaPo’s AZI PAYBARAH and TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA reports it’s about as boring as it could get: “Royalties from a pair of books he published years earlier: $2,933. Interest from one bank account: $15,000 or less. Gifts to declare: none. Biden’s annual financial disclosure report … contained such mundane income sources for a president who, at 80, spent nearly his entire adult life in public office.”

THE BUREAUCRATS

YELLEN HER DIRE WARNINGS: Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN said Tuesday that if the U.S. defaults on its debt, it “could cause widespread suffering as Americans lose the income that they need to get by. And the resulting income shock could lead to a recession that destroys many American jobs and businesses. … If that sounds catastrophic — that’s because it is.” Our ZACHARY WARMBRODT has more here.

ON THE TRADE FRONT…: Commerce Secretary GINA RAIMONDO Tuesday also spoke about the impact Republicans’ proposed budget would have on the department, saying that “if we were to go back to FY22 funding levels, we would be down hundreds of people.” DOUG PALMER has more for Pro s.

INTRUDER ALERT: The U.S. Secret Service is looking into how an intruder got into National Security Adviser JAKE SULLIVAN’s home at 3 a.m. last month, despite having security detail at all times, WaPo’s CAROL D. LEONNIG and TYLER PAGER report. Secret Service agents “stationed outside the house were unaware that an intruder had gotten inside the home, located in the West End neighborhood of Washington, until the man had already left and Sullivan came outside to alert the agents.”

DEPARTURE LOUNGE: CHARLIE ANDERSON is joining Arnold Ventures as executive vice president for infrastructure. He most recently was special assistant to the president for economic policy at the White House National Economic Council.

— NAHID BHADELIA has left the White House where she was senior policy adviser for the White House Covid-19 response team, DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned. She has returned to Boston University where she leads the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy and Research.

Agenda Setting

SELLING LAND TO SAVE IT: A plan from the White House that “would allow conservationists and others to lease federally owned land to restore it, much the same way oil companies buy leases to drill and ranchers pay to graze cattle” is receiving pushback from Republicans and agriculture leaders who are saying the effort is a way for the administration to sideline mining and energy efforts, AP’s MATTHEW BROWN reports.

ABOUT THAT STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS: The Biden administration Monday filed a motion to a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit brought on by private lender SoFi, which put a pause on its student loan forgiveness plans earlier this year, our MICHAEL STRATFORD reports for Pro s. The administration’s lawyers wrote that the dispute should be dismissed because SoFi’s “goal of profiting from student loan borrowers” does not coincide with federal law. It’s the White House’s latest attempt to move its debt relief proposal forward.

GET READY FOR GLOBAL TECH DAY: Join POLITICO Live as we launch our first Global Tech Day alongside London Tech Week on Thursday, June 15. Register now for continuing updates and to be a part of this momentous and program-packed day! From the blockchain, to AI, and autonomous vehicles, technology is changing how power is exercised around the world, so who will write the rules? REGISTER HERE.

What We're Reading

What Everyone—Except the U.S.—Has Learned About Immigration (WSJ’s Tom Fairless)

Can the World Make an Electric Car Battery Without China? (NYT’s Agnes Chang and Keith Bradsher)

CIA urges Russians to share secrets with America in new video campaign (NBC’s Dan De Luce and Yuliya Talmazan)

POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER

President FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT’s Scottish terrier, FALA, starred in a short-subject film relating the World War II home front story from the dog’s perspective, according to the White House Historical Association.

A CALL OUT — Do you think you have a harder trivia question? Send us your best one about the presidents with a citation and we may feature it.

Edited by Eun Kyung Kim and Sam Stein.

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