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PRESENTED BY

BY JOHN BRESNAHAN, ANNA PALMER AND JAKE SHERMAN

THE TOP

The Theme: Thanks, as always, for reading this morning. Less than 24 hours ago, House Democrats passed a $1.9-trillion Covid-related stimulus package, fulfilling a gigantic campaign promise. 

But when you read today’s edition, you’ll see a commonality through much of our reporting: Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill and in the West Wing are trying to make headway on their other lofty and, in some cases unachievable, campaign-season promises — and, at the same time, the base is demanding results. We’ll explore the dynamics on gun control, voting rights and the minimum wage — and the base’s agitation in D.C. 

This will be a continuing dynamic for much of this Congress.

Guns: Can Democrats do anything to advance gun control? Can they pass any gun-related legislation while controlling Congress and White House simultaneously for the first time in a decade? Is anything possible without getting rid of the filibuster in the Senate? As much as advocates are hoping for a shift, the answer is no.

But Democrats can raise the stakes politically, and that’s what they intend to do in the coming weeks and months.

The House will vote today on two gun-related measures — a universal background checks bill authored by Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), and legislation offered by House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) to close the “Charleston loophole,” which allows someone to buy a gun if the federal criminal background check isn’t completed in three business days.

Both measures will pass the chamber with big Democratic majorities and little or no GOP support. That’s the same thing that happened in the 116th Congress. And both bills will go nowhere in the Senate thanks to overwhelming Republican opposition to almost any gun-control initiative.

Senate Democrats have introduced their own versions of these House gun bills, although there’s little sign of any bipartisan deals to be had.

Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) introduced high-profile legislation in 2013 to expand background checks on commercial gun sales following the Sandy Hook massacre, but they haven’t done anything recently. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), one of the biggest advocates for new gun laws in Congress, is talking to several GOP senators about a potential compromise based on a background checks plan floated by former Attorney General William Barr in 2019. But those talks are still in the early stages, Murphy said.

However, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), with the backing of Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) — the chair the Judiciary Committee — is planning a series of hearings on guns and gun violence in that panel, he told us Wednesday night. 

“We’re gonna have a series of hearings,” Blumenthal said. The first session will be a full Judiciary Committee, and other sessions will take place in Blumenthal’s Constitution subcommittee. “We want to explore gun violence, the problems and the solutions.”

Blumenthal pointed to several factors that he believes show the gun debate in America is slowly — very slowly — changing. He noted there’s a “slew of activist, grassroots organizations, locally based, such as Everytown, Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action, Brady, Giffords, Sandy Hook Promise, Newtown Action Alliance, and they are having effect.”

Blumenthal also said a new generation of Democratic lawmakers are openly campaigning for additional restrictions of guns. “They ran on it, they made it a priority, and they won,” Blumenthal said. “That’s why we have action in the House, last session and this session, on gun violence. That change is monumental.”

And lastly, the financial woes of the once-mighty NRA are encouraging Democrats and gun-control activists. “It’s obviously a move to get away from New York’s jurisdiction,” Blumenthal said, referring to that state’s lawsuit against the gun group. “But the confession and acknowledgement of bankruptcy is beyond financial. It’s a kind of a political and moral statement as well.”

The big picture here is that gun control is just one of the legislative priorities the base has been counting on Democrats to make progress on. This is one of the spots where the base will be disappointed.

LOOK WHO’S COMING TO LUNCH

Senate Dems will hear from voting-rights experts today

Senate Democrats will hear from top election-law lawyer Marc Elias and the NAACP’s Defense Fund’s Sherrilyn Ifill during their virtual policy lunch today.

The topic is voting rights, voter suppression and what has happened in the courts since November.

H.R. 1 — a Democratic voting-rights bill — passed the House March 3, but it doesn’t stand a chance of passing the Senate unless Democrats blow up the filibuster. They don’t have the votes to get rid of the filibuster as of now. The Democratic base believes H.R. 1 is a perfect piece of legislation around which to pick a fight on the Senate rules.

PRESSURE IN THE DONOR PAPER

The Fight for $15 has taken out a full-page ad in the D.C. edition of the New York Times today demanding a minimum wage at $15. Of course, this is going nowhere because Republicans are in opposition and Democrats still have to contend with the filibuster.

SNEAK PEEK

What Joe Biden will say tonight

President Joe Biden will give a prime time address tonight to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Covid-19 shutdown. The speech is expected to run less than 20 minutes. 

Here’s what the White House is saying about the theme and topics.

• The President will talk about the sacrifices made by the American people, the more than 500,000 lives lost, and the millions of people whose lives have been changed by the pandemic.

• He will speak about how this has been the greatest operational challenge the country has faced and the work his team has done to rapidly increase the number of vaccinations, vaccinators and vaccinations sites up and running.

• And he will lay out the next steps he will take to get the pandemic under control, level with the American people about what is still required to defeat the virus and provide a hopeful vision of what is possible if we all come together.

Also: The White House announced that VP Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will travel to Las Vegas and Denver at the beginning of next week.

MOMENTS

9:15 a.m.: Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, California Rep. Mike Thompson, Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York will hold a news conference on gun violence. 

9:30 a.m.: House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney and Reps. John Katko of New York and Kay Granger of Texas will hold a news conference about the border.

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

11:30 a.m.: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy will hold his weekly news conference … President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris will receive an economic briefing.

12:30 p.m.: Jen Psaki will brief.

1:45 p.m.: Harris will attend a virtual meeting to talk about the American Rescue Plan

3:15 p.m.: Biden and Harris receive a weekly economic briefing.

5:15 p.m.: Harris will hold a ceremonial swearing in for Merrick Garland as attorney general.

8:02 p.m.: Biden will address the nation from the East Room.

2022

Cotton tells RSC the border is key to majority hopes

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) spoke at the Republican Study Committee’s lunch Wednesday and said that the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border will be key in Republicans regaining the House majority. He urged the GOP to not give in on immigration policies and to continually remind Republican voters that there is a “crisis” on the border caused by President Joe Biden.

We’ve heard this theme consistently from Republicans in the House and Senate over the last few weeks. Steve Scalise and Liz Cheney have a border news conference this morning.

Former President Donald Trump tried to use the situation at the border to help Republicans keep the House in 2018 but found little success.

THE LATEST ON CUOMO

Times Union (Albany): “Female aide said Cuomo aggressively groped her at Executive Mansion,” by Brendan Lyons: “A female aide to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo alleges he aggressively groped her in a sexually charged manner after she had been summoned to the Executive Mansion late last year, according to a person with direct knowledge of the woman’s claims.

“The staff member, whose identity is being withheld by the Times Union, had been called to the mansion under the apparent pretext of having her assist the governor with a minor technical issue involving his mobile phone. They were alone in Cuomo’s private residence on the second floor when he closed the door and allegedly reached under her blouse and began to fondle her, according to the source.”

CLIP FILE

NYT: “With Relief Plan, Biden Takes on a New Role: Crusader for the Poor,” by Michael Shear, Carl Hulse and Jonathan Martin

“A G.O.P. senator tweets approvingly about part of the stimulus bill, without mentioning one detail: his ‘no’ vote,” by Emily Cochran and Tom Kaplan

“Two whistle-blowers claim a Justice Department official improperly promoted an employee in the final days of Trump’s term,” by Katie Benner

WaPo: “Biden to offer hopes for a return to normalcy in first prime-time speech,” by Matt Viser and Ashley Parker

“Democrats’ messaging shifts as they pass Biden stimulus bill: From economic crisis rescue to poverty relief,” by Erica Werner 

WSJ: “Dow Soars Above 32000 to Close at Record,” by Will Horner and Paul Vigna

WSJ Editorial Board: “The Progressive Democratic Steamroller”: “Democrats on Wednesday passed their $1.9 trillion spending and welfare bill that would have been unimaginable even in the Obama years, and the big news is how easily they did it. The party is united behind the most left-wing agenda in decades, while Republicans are divided and in intellectual disarray. This is only the beginning of the progressive steamroller, and it’s worth understanding why. …

“Politics is never static, and perhaps this momentum will ebb as Democrats lose the false cover of ‘Covid relief’ for their agenda. But it’s no exaggeration to say the country is facing the most confident left-wing majority since 1965. This isn’t what Joe Biden promised, but it is what we’re getting.”

AP: “A year on, WHO still struggling to manage pandemic response,” by Maria Cheng and Jamey Keaten

Politico: “A $60 billion surprise in the Covid relief bill: Tax hikes,” by Brian Faler

“Capitol riot cases strain court system,” by Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney

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Editorial photos provided by Getty Images