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Presented by Center Forward: The power players, latest policy developments, and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing. | | | | |  | | By Lauren Egan, Myah Ward and Benjamin Johansen | | | Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from producer Raymond Rapada. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Eli | Email Lauren West Wing Playbook wrote last week about how President JOE BIDEN is trying to get more federal employees back to the office post-Covid. Those employees, it turns out, are not happy about it. A number of federal workers (mostly career officials) reached out to West Wing Playbook in response to the piece to express their frustration with the prospect of being required to physically show up to the office with more regularity. Some of the complaints mirrored debates happening in the private sector, like the impact in-person requirements have on child and elder care. Another big downside mentioned by multiple federal employees is the amount of time spent commuting, especially for jobs based in D.C., home to some of the worst traffic in the country. And some feds also pointed out that when they show up, they just end up spending the day in virtual meetings. “Our return to work frankly is just stupid,” said one federal employee who oversees a team of employment attorneys. The person predicted half their team will quit if their department ends up requiring staffers to come in three days a week. Some of the frustration is rooted in the belief that the White House has failed to provide a satisfying rationale for its in-office push. Describing it as good for morale doesn’t cut it. Others also pointed out that certain jobs can be done better from home, and they argued the Biden administration should adopt a more nuanced and flexible approach to RTO. Managers, some federal employees argued, have not been empowered to make decisions on what’s best for their teams and it’s created an uncomfortable dynamic at some agencies between the career staff and political appointees. “The White House push to RTO has wreaked havoc,” said a career staffer at the National Science Foundation. “Morale is really low for an agency that tends to have a good reputation.” “They’ve provided no rationale for making us come in,” the person said. “I spend the vast majority of my time on documents, spreadsheets, dashboards … things I can do better at home without a long commute.” An Office of Management and Budget official said that while the federal government is moving toward more in-person work, agency heads have discretion to figure out a system that works best for their department. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. The official noted the private sector also was shifting toward more in-person work and the federal government needed to do the same to ensure a higher quality work product. Out of the 2.2 million federal workers across the country, the official said, roughly 50 percent have jobs that already require some in-person work, and the agencies that have implemented stricter return-to-office policies have not seen a loss in staff. “There are certain benefits that are hard to achieve, but for having in-person time,” the official said. “Our expectation is that we’re going to be more flexible as an employer than we were prior to the pandemic, but make sure that we have a sufficient amount of fully in-person time.” Still, some career employees expressed a sense of betrayal and lack of appreciation, particularly after making significant personal sacrifices during Covid to keep the government running. “The federal workforce kept the trains running on time [during Covid]. Now, it’s all of a sudden being treated as, ‘You guys are lazy,’” a federal employee said in a phone call with West Wing Playbook. “I’m a pro-Biden person. But the idea that he says he’s pro-labor and then turning around and treating the federal workforce like this is bananas to me.” A government attorney said it was “ironic” that a president who prides himself on being a family man would push for a return to the office. “I can honestly say that work from home has been the most positive improvement for our family that could have happened,” the person said. MESSAGE US — Are you ARIANA MUSHNICK, director of digital rapid response? We want to hear from you. And we’ll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com. Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe here!
| | A message from Center Forward: The Federal Reserve’s new proposed capital rules would have unintended consequences – hurting hard-working Americans, raising costs, and harming American competitiveness. Nearly every industry borrows money, and businesses will pass on higher costs to consumers. Increasing mortgage, credit card and student loan payments – even heating and energy bills. That’s the last thing we need right now. Tell the Fed: Protect our economy. | | | | | NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE, the famed 19th century author, died on a trip to the White Mountains in New Hampshire with which president? (Answer at bottom.)
| | DON’T SWEAT IT: BARACK OBAMA’s 2012 campaign manager has a message for Democrats: don’t panic over Biden’s grim polling numbers. JIM MESSINA writes for POLITICO that 11 years ago, the Obama camp was in the same place, listening to outside pollsters call their campaign “toast.” Messina argues that it’s difficult to trust early polling, since the respondents are typically the most politically engaged of the electorate. “They are either die-hard partisans or trying to make a point. But swing voters aren’t tuned in yet and may not decide who to back until very late, and they are the ones who will decide this election,” he writes. BRING OUT THE BIG GUNS: Even if Messina thinks Dems should chill, the anxieties inside the party are prevalent, our JONATHAN MARTIN writes. J-Mart poses a slew of suggestions on how the Biden team can turn things around, such as calling on a cast of big name Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans to help out, including BILL and HILLARY CLINTON, RAHM EMANUEL and LIZ CHENEY. “The oldest president in history when he first took the oath, Biden will not be able to govern and campaign in the manner of previous incumbents. He simply does not have the capacity to do it, and his staff doesn’t trust him to even try, as they make clear by blocking him from the press,” Martin writes. Biden world did not love that. Former chief of staff RON KLAIN took to X to call it “UNTRUE.” Former deputy director of the National Economic Council BHARAT RAMAMURTI also chimed in, calling the assertion “utterly false.” D.C. NEEDS TO GET ITS SHIT TOGETHER: Secret Service agents protecting Biden granddaughter NAOMI BIDEN opened fire Sunday on three people attempting to break into an unmarked Secret Service vehicle outside her Georgetown home, AP’s MICHAEL BALSAMO reports. In a statement, the Secret Service noted that none of the individuals were struck by the gunfire, and all three fled the scene. CHAMPS AT THE WHITE HOUSE: On Monday, the White House welcomed the Las Vegas Golden Knights, the 2023 Stanley Cup champion. Knights captain MARK STONE presented the president with a Biden #46 jersey and quite the lavish golden hockey stick. “It’s an honor to speak on behalf of the city of Las Vegas. It’s of course an amazing city. The entertainment capital of the world. We say that with all due respect to Delaware, Mr. President,” Stone joked in his speech.
|  President Joe Biden wields a golden hockey stick during a ceremony honoring the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the East Room of the White House on Nov. 13, 2023 in Washington, D.C. | Win McNamee/Getty Images | WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: This piece by The Messenger’s EVA SUROVELL, who reports on the White House’s response to former President DONALD TRUMP promising in a Veterans Day speech to “root out” those who disagree with him politically, calling them “vermin.” White House spokesperson ANDREW BATES said using such language would be “unrecognizable to our founders” and echoed the rhetoric used by WWII dictators. Bates shared the piece on X. ALSO THIS: This piece by The Times of Israel’s CARRIE KELLER-LYNN, who reports that GOP presidential hopeful CHRIS CHRISTIE, in his trip to Israel yesterday, commended President Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas crisis. Christie said he did not believe that the U.S. voices calling for an immediate ceasefire, “including those taking part in mass rallies, represent the vast majority of Americans,” Keller-Lynn writes. White House deputy communications director HERBIE ZISKEND shared the piece on X. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This opinion piece by WaPo’s PERRY BACON, who argues that in the midst of alarming polling, Dems should seriously consider moving on from Biden. He poses a series of explanations as to how a generally popular party can have such an unpopular president, saying that Democratic candidates and causes are winning despite Biden, not because of him. “The Biden presidency came about for one single reason: his perceived electoral strength. He’s not looking electorally strong now — and many other Democratic politicians are better positioned for a successful 2024 presidential campaign,” Bacon writes.
| | | | JOIN US ON 11/15 FOR A TALK ON OUR SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: As the sustainability movement heats up, so have calls for a national standard for clean fuel. Join POLITICO on Nov. 15 in Washington D.C. as we convene leading officials from the administration, key congressional committees, states and other stakeholders to explore the role of EVs, biofuels, hydrogen and other options in the clean fuel sector and how evolving consumer behaviors are influencing sustainable energy practices. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | | TAKE IT EASY: Despite longing from the president and lawmakers from both parties to spike ‘Buy American’ manufacturing, the defense industry is pushing back, our JOE GOULD, PAUL MCLEARY and CONNOR O’BRIEN report. “Supply chain problems, towering global demands for weapons and the need to work with allies to get it all done means that the America First movement should wait,” they write. BIDEN’S SOOT PROBLEM: The Environmental Protection Agency is about to put out new regulations regarding soot, the harmful particles emitted from burning fossil fuels, NYT’s LYDIA DEPILLIS reports. This has led to backlash from soot-producing industries, who collectively wrote a letter last month to White House chief of staff JEFF ZEINTS, saying the regulations would damage economic development. MORE RAIL NEWS: On Monday, senior adviser and infrastructure coordinator MITCH LANDRIEU and acting Secretary of Labor JULIE SU traveled to Baltimore’s Workforce Hub to announce the administration’s latest rail investments, including the nearly $5 billion for the Frederick Douglass Tunnel project. The White House also announced that Amtrak will invest $5 million to create recruitment and job training for Baltimore residents as a part of the Douglass rail project.
| | | | A message from Center Forward:   | | | | | FIRST IN WEST WING PLAYBOOK: LIZ HART has left the White House where she has served as deputy social secretary since the start of the administration, DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned. She spearheaded many of the Biden administration’s largest events and plans to continue in politics and also work on projects and clients in the entertainment industry. — DAVID BONINE is joining United as managing director/head of congressional affairs. He most recently was a special assistant to the president for legislative affairs. CLIMATE CABINET SHAKEUP: BEN BEACHY is now special assistant to the president for climate policy, with a focus on the industrial sector and community investment. He previously was vice president for industrial policy at the BlueGreen Alliance. — NICOLE CORDAN joined the White House climate office as senior freshwater adviser. She previously served in the same role at the Office of Management and Budget. — DIEGO NUNEZ and DOROTHY LUTZ joined the White House climate office as senior policy advisers. Both previously worked at the Treasury Department.
| | | | GET READY FOR POLITICO’S DEFENSE SUMMIT ON 11/14: Russia’s war on Ukraine … China’s threats to Taiwan … a war in Gaza. The U.S. is under increasing pressure to deter, defend and fight in more ways — but not everyone agrees how. Join POLITICO's 3rd Annual Defense Summit on November 14 for exclusive interviews and expert discussions on global security and the U.S.'s race to bolster alliances and stay ahead of adversaries. Explore critical topics, including international conflicts, advanced technology, spending priorities and political dynamics shaping global defense strategies. Don’t miss these timely and important discussions. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | | Strip Clubs, Lewd Photos and a Boozy Hotel: The Toxic Atmosphere at Bank Regulator FDIC (WSJ’s Rebecca Ballhaus) Embattled Supreme Court adopts code of conduct (POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein) We were interviewing a Palestinian farmer. Then the drone and soldiers appeared (NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly, Erika Ryan, and Kat Lonsdorf)
| | FRANKLIN PIERCE, who became good friends with Hawthorne during their years at Bowdoin College, according to the Library of Congress. Hawthorne became ill in 1864 and asked Pierce to accompany him to the mountains in hope it would improve his health. After the two stopped in a New Hampshire hotel, Hawthorne passed away in his sleep. “It is a singular and happy circumstance,” wrote the New York Herald, “that friends who have lived so many years upon terms of unrestricted intimacy as Franklin Pierce and Nathaniel Hawthorne should in the final hours of one still be so near to the other as to enable the survivor to hear, as it were, the last whisper of his friend as entered the portals of eternity.” A CALL OUT! Do you think you have a harder trivia question? Send us your best one about the presidents, with a citation or sourcing, and we may feature it! Edited by Eun Kyung Kim and Sam Stein.
| | A message from Center Forward: If the Federal Reserve further tightens access to credit and weakens financial markets, our economy won’t have a soft landing.
It’s hard to get ahead — or even keep afloat — in this economy. The last thing we need is for the Federal Reserve to adopt new, overreaching capital rules that will further tighten access to credit and hurt financial markets. Making it even more expensive for a family to buy a house, send their kids to college and save for retirement. Even harder for small and mid-size businesses to get the loans they need to expand and innovate. Increasing the cost of life insurance, plane tickets, home energy bills, and shipping. Increasing prices and reducing employment.
Tell the Fed: Protect our economy | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
