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PRESENTED BY

BY JOHN BRESNAHAN, ANNA PALMER AND JAKE SHERMAN

THE TOP

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A small clutch of the Senate Sweet 16™ was scheduled to meet last night for dinner. On the guest list was Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Mark Warner (Va.), Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), Dick Durbin (Ill.) and Republican Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Rob Portman (Ohio), Bill Cassidy (La.), Mitt Romney (Utah) and independent Sen. Angus King (Maine). (Warner announced he was exposed to someone with Covid, so he entered quarantine late Wednesday.)

We can’t speak for every Republican or Democrat in the Sweet 16™, but we can say this without a doubt: There’s frustration on the Republican side that Joe Biden, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and the Democrats appear headed toward taking a one-party approach to Covid relief. This anger is most acute with Collins, Portman and Murkowski, according to sources familiar with the state of play.

These centrist Republicans say Democrats are moving way too quickly toward budget reconciliation, which they take as a signal that Democrats have no interest in the GOP’s support. Republicans are already getting frustrated with Brian Deese, the director of the National Economic Council, because they claim he’s ditching bipartisanship after one phone call. The reality is Deese is meeting with many  of the bipartisan caucuses. 

“I think it would be wise for the new administration to work to try to get a bipartisan proposal that can be moved through I think that that speaks exactly to President [Joe] Biden’s comments just a week ago now it seems like it’s been longer than a week but he’s only been sworn in, for a week now,” Murkowski said on Wednesday. “And he spoke to unity and working together. Well, we’re giving an opportunity to come together on important and timely legislation, so why wouldn’t you do that rather than trying to move it through with reconciliation and having a fully partisan product.”

Truth be told, any Republicans’ asks would probably be too steep for the Democrats early in this presidency. If past is precedent, they would probably aim for a $500 billion Covid bill without a minimum wage increase and pared back state and local funding. And Democrats truly have no choice here. The economic and health situation is dire. And as we explained yesterday, if Dems wait around for too long and Republicans don’t come around, they’ve wasted precious time. 

But Republicans argue they aren’t even being given a chance — and it will poison the well for months to come. Several Republicans remarked to us last night that Covid relief just got done in a bipartisan manner with Donald Trump in the White House. With Biden preaching unity, why would Democrats take the one-party route?

There’s plenty of evidence Democrats are getting ready to go it alone.

The Senate Budget Committee will mark-up a budget resolution as early as next week. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the incoming chair, wants to include a minimum-wage increase and a host of other progressive initiatives in the reconciliation package. Sanders argues that the time to do this is now, with Americans being pounded by the twin crises of the pandemic and an economic downturn.

“The minimum wage has got to be raised to 15 bucks, we think that can be done by reconciliation and I think I can get that done,” Sanders told reporters on Wednesday.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to her colleagues Wednesday with this message: “On the legislative front, we are grateful to our Committee Chairs, who are working on coronavirus relief legislation as a basis for reconciliation, should that step be needed.  We hope and expect Republicans in Congress will support assistance that will bring relief to their communities.  But the need for action could not be more urgent, and Democrats will not take any tools off the table as to how the House and Senate can get this package done.”

In other words, it looks like Democrats are just about ready to leave Republicans behind.

MCCARTHY’S GREENE PROBLEM

What should the leadership do about MTG?

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The controversy over GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) isn’t going away, and it’s a problem for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) and the rest of the GOP leadership, especially in the wake of the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Greene “repeatedly indicated support for executing prominent Democratic politicians in 2018 and 2019,” CNN reported, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), former President Barack Obama, and others. Last week, the liberal group Media Matters disclosed Facebook posts where Greene agreed with comments that the horrific 2018 Parkland school shooting was a “false flag” operation and the 9/11 attack was an “inside job.”

Most recently, a TV crew was kicked out of a Greene event and threatened with arrest after trying to ask her a question Wednesday night.

Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) plans to offer a motion to expel Greene, although whether it ever comes up for a vote is still unclear. “Her very presence in office represents a direct threat against elected officials and staff who serve our country, and it is with their safety in mind, as well as the security of our institutions and public servants across our country, that I call on my House colleagues to support my resolution and immediately remove Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene from this legislative body,” Gomez said in a statement.

Expulsion almost certainly isn’t going to happen, since it’d require the support of two-thirds of the House. That would mean dozens of Republicans would have to vote to expel Greene for behavior — while terrible, especially in the light of what happened on Jan. 6 and the growing public concern over domestic extremism — occurred before she came to Congress. And voters knew Greene had a history of racist, Islamophobic and anti-Semitic comments long before she was elected; Politico reported that last June. 

McCarthy’s dilemma, though, is that he’s not going to be able to just move past this incident — especially not after the deadly Capitol incident. McCarthy’s office said he wants to meet with Greene and discuss the situation, which is the same technique he used following the original Politico report on her hate-filled past and support for the QAnon conspiracy. McCarthy has urged Democrats and the media to give Greene “an opportunity” to serve before condemning her, but the uproar surrounding her only seems to grow.

Other House GOP lawmakers are also causing controversy. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) infuriated Democrats by tweeting that Pelosi had left the House chamber during the Jan. 6 attack. Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) reportedly tried to bring a gun on the House floor, an incident under investigation by the U.S. Capitol Police. Harris, Boebert and some other Republicans have refused to comply with the new screening requirement for members and staff before they go on the floor. Democrats will push through a rule next week setting up automatic fines for members who violate the protocol.

When Republicans won the House majority in 2010, they promised to be sober stewards of the government. John Boehner was eager to push people out of the House when they were problems. Can you make the argument that you should be entrusted with power when you are behaving like this?

POMPEO’S FOGGY BOTTOM

Elliot Abrams trashes Trump

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Jacob Kornbluh of Forward caught up with Elliot Abrams, Donald Trump’s special representative for Venezuela and Iran, who had this to offer about the 45th president.

Though he served two years in Trump’s State Department, Abrams — tt supported Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio in the 2016 primaries and refused to back Trump even after he became the Republican nominee — said he never converted.

“In 2016 I said Donald Trump was not fit to be president, and my view on that never wavered,” he explained. And while he does believe the administration had significant accomplishments on Iran and other areas he worked on, Abrams said that what happened on Jan. 6, ‘taints’ that legacy.

“It’s a great deal harder to remind people of the positive things that were done — for example with respect to the security of Israel," he said.

CLIP FILE

NYT: “Extremists Emboldened by Capitol Attack Pose Rising Threat, Homeland Security Says,” by Zolan Kanno-Youngs and David Sanger: “Warning that the deadly rampage of the Capitol this month may not be an isolated episode, the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday said publicly for the first time that the United States faced a growing threat from ‘violent domestic extremists’ emboldened by the attack.

“The department’s terrorism alert did not name specific groups that might be behind any future attacks, but it made clear that their motivation would include anger over ‘the presidential transition, as well as other perceived grievances fueled by false narratives,’ a clear reference to the accusations made by President Donald J. Trump and echoed by right-wing groups that the 2020 election was stolen.” …

… “McConnell Was Done With Trump. His Party Said Not So Fast,” by Nick Fandos and Jonathan Martin …

… NYT Editorial Board: “Ease Up on the Executive Actions, Joe”

WaPo: “As Biden vows monumental action on climate change, a fight with the fossil fuel industry has only begun,” Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis: “From an oil patch in Alaska to state capitals to the halls of Congress, the industries and their allies are aiming to slow Biden’s unprecedented push for climate action and keep profits from fossil fuels flowing. Republican attorneys general from six states wrote to the new president, warning him not to overstep his authority. GOP lawmakers attacked his executive orders as ‘job killers.’ And the petroleum industry revived television ads promoting drilling on federal lands.” …

… “Biden embraces order and routine in his first week. How will that fit this moment of crisis?” by Matt Viser …

… “Republicans back away from confronting Trump and his loyalists after the Capitol insurrection, embracing them instead,” by Michael Scherer and Josh Dawsey: “The efforts from the top serve to accommodate Trump’s most fervent supporters as they continue to champion the falsehood of widespread electoral fraud that motivated the attack on Jan. 6 and to seek retribution against the few Republicans who have called for accountability from Trump and the party’s conspiracy-minded elements.”

WSJ: “GameStop Mania Reveals Power Shift on Wall Street—and the Pros Are Reeling,” by Gunjan Banerji, Juliet Chung and Caitlin McCabe …

… “Biden Re-Examining U.S. Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia, U.A.E.,” by Warren P. Strobel: “The Biden administration has imposed a temporary freeze on U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia and is scrutinizing purchases by the United Arab Emirates as it reviews billions of dollars in weapons transactions approved by former President Donald Trump, according to U.S. officials.

“The review, the officials said, includes the sale of precision-guided munitions to Riyadh, as well as top-line F-35 fighters to Abu Dhabi, a deal that Washington approved as part of the Abraham Accords, in which the Emirates established diplomatic relations with Israel. U.S. officials said it isn’t unusual for a new administration to review arms sales approved by a predecessor, and that despite the pause, many of the transactions are likely to ultimately go forward.” … 

… "Top Pakistan Court Acquits Man Convicted of Killing WSJ Reporter Daniel Pearl," by Saeed Shah in Islamabad: "Pakistan’s top court acquitted the man convicted in 2002 of orchestrating the kidnapping and killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

"The Supreme Court dismissed on Thursday all charges against Omar Sheikh, a British citizen who has spent more than 18 years in prison in Pakistan for the crime."

POLITICO: “Biden confronts Russia — and Republicans are listening,” by Andrew Desiderio

L.A. Times: “Man arrested with explosives may have been targeting Gov. Newsom, authorities say,” by Phil Willon and Anita Chabria: “A suspected far-right extremist and radicalized supporter of former President Trump facing federal explosives charges may have been targeting California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the San Francisco Bay Area headquarters of social media giants Twitter and Facebook, according to the FBI. 

“Federal prosecutors charged Ian Benjamin Rogers, 43, of Napa County, with possessing five homemade pipe bombs that investigators found when they searched his home and auto repair business Jan. 15. They also confiscated additional bomb-making material along with 49 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition.”

MOMENTS

9:45 a.m.: President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris will get the daily brief.

10:45 a.m.: Speaker Nancy Pelosi will hold her weekly news conference.

1:30 p.m.: Biden will sign executive orders “strengthening Americans’ access to quality, affordable health care”

2:30 p.m.: Jen Psaki will brief.

DOWNTOWN MOVES

Culver moving on up at Canopy

Veteran Democratic lobbyist David Culver has been promoted to VP of global government relations at Canopy Growth. Culver, who most recently focused on U.S. government and stakeholder relations for the cannabis company, previously worked for DISCUS and has worked for several Democratic senators including Tom Daschle and Ben Nelson.

PAPER OF RECORD

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