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PRESENTED BY

BY JOHN BRESNAHAN, ANNA PALMER AND JAKE SHERMAN

THE TOP

New: We are thrilled to invite you to join us for a virtual conversation with White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain on March 9 at 6 p.m. You should expect a substantive discussion about the White House’s policy priorities, legislating and strategy. This is the inaugural installment in a three-part virtual event series about the first 100 days in Joe Biden’s Washington, brought to you by Edelman. 

The series will also dive into how Washington is changing. In the second conversation, we’ll sit down with top female staffers on Capitol Hill, where more women and more women of color are rising in power. Our third conversation will focus on what’s next as Washington shifts gear to focus on how the government can help stimulate the economy as vaccine distribution moves into overdrive. 

We hope you’ll join us! RSVP here. 

Quick Reminder: If you are a chief of staff, legislative director, staff director, comms director or press secretary, please join The Canvass, our anonymous monthly survey powered by the independent polling firm Locust Street Group. Sign up here

BEHIND THE SCENES

Senate Dems still tweaking Covid bill

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Senate Democrats will try once again Thursday to begin debate on the $1.9 trillion “American Rescue Plan,” President Joe Biden’s top legislative priority.  But it promises to be a long couple of days for Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and the White House as they try to push the bill through a 50-50 Senate with just Democratic votes. Final passage may not come until the weekend, Senate aides said.

Democrats were still waiting on scores Wednesday from the Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation to verify that the legislation is compliant with budget reconciliation rules. Biden, Schumer and moderate Senate Democrats negotiated changes to the bill, including the phase-out level for stimulus checks. The concession helped bolster Schumer’s hand heading into the Senate floor fight.

Yet Schumer and other party leaders were still tweaking the package Wednesday night. There were discussions over language restricting stimulus checks for undocumented immigrants (an issue in the House too), as well as possible changes to the state and local aid provisions, Senate sources said. Several Democratic senators pushed their own favored issues, such as expanding broadband funding or walling off some federal aid for cities and small localities to make sure governors can’t grab control of all the money sent to each state. With no margin for errors, individual Democrats have enormous leverage, and they seem unafraid to use it.

Democrats are also prepping for whatever “political amendments” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is planning to offer on the floor. Schumer aides held a meeting Wednesday to plot out possible GOP amendments, and there’s clearly concern among Democrats over what McConnell will do.

Once Democrats receive the official budgetary scores —  and they determine the proposal meets reconciliation requirements — the floor proceedings can begin. Schumer will call the House bill up, and there’ll be a vote on whether to proceed. When Democrats win that vote, Schumer will then offer a substitute amendment to the House bill that includes the changes worked out by Senate Democrats. That’s when the fun begins. 

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) is seeking to delay the start — and possibly the end — of the Covid debate by forcing Senate clerks to read the 600-plus page bill out loud on the floor. This could take roughly 10 hours, leadership aides said.

Johnson also may require each individual amendment during the upcoming “vote-a-rama” on the Covid package to be read out loud too, another delaying tactic. “I just want a full airing, I want people’s amendments to be fully considered,” Johnson said Wednesday.

Democrats said they’re “delighted” that Johnson has emerged as the public face of the GOP opposition to the Covid bill. The wealthy Wisconsin Republican — he sold off part of a family business worth millions of dollars — has been at the center of controversy recently for suggesting the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol wasn’t an “armed insurrection.” He also questioned whether Antifa disguised as Trump supporters were behind the attack. Both of those positions were widely criticized by Democrats and the press.

Once the legislation is read out loud, then the Senate can debate the bill for up to 20 hours. There can be motions and votes during this period. When the 20 hours is up, then the vote-a-rama begins.

The House will have to pass whatever the Senate approves.

Punch Up: NYT: “Democrats Narrow Stimulus Payments as Biden Works to Keep Aid Plan on Track,” by Emily Cochrane

“Murkowski emerges as focus of Biden effort to find GOP support for his agenda,” by WaPo’s Seung Min Kim and Paul Kane

CAPITOL SECURITY

Washington on high alert today

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Security will be heightened today in the Capitol, as QAnon devotees are allegedly planning to pay a visit to the complex once again on what they believe is Donald Trump’s true inauguration day. Thousands of National Guard troops have remained on the Capitol grounds since the Jan. 6 attack. Congressional officials have also stepped up security for lawmakers outside D.C. House votes were canceled for today.

While some Republicans privately grumbled that the change to the House schedule was unnecessary and pointed out that the Senate will be in session, Democrats aren’t taking any chances.

WaPo: 

The U.S. Capitol Police said Wednesday that they have information regarding a possible plot by a militant group to breach the Capitol on Thursday, a date that some followers of the QAnon extremist ideology falsely claim will mark former president Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

The department declined to name the group or provide additional details, citing the “sensitive nature” of the information. In a statement, the department said it is “prepared for any potential threats.”

In response, the House canceled a scheduled Thursday session, instead wrapping up planned votes late Wednesday. The Senate, considering President Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill, planned to remain in session Thursday. Members and staff were encouraged to take precautions such as parking in underground garages.

2022

Zeldin explains his theory for N.Y. gov

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Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) is considering a run for governor of New York — that much has been reported by the New York Times and Newsday. 

He knows the GOP’s history in New York, and in case he forgot, we reminded him during a chat Wednesday in the Capitol. A Republican hasn’t won the state’s governorship since George Pataki in 1994. That was the only time the GOP has held the job since Malcom Wilson finished Nelson Rockefeller’s term in 1974.

Zeldin, a four-term House member and former New York State senator, also knows Democrats would tie him to former President Donald Trump, a legitimate issue in deep blue New York.

But Zeldin, 41, is serious about a potential run. From our conversation, in fact, it seems as if he’s going to jump in. We asked Zeldin on Wednesday what his timeline for making a decision was and he said this: “I am going to start making calls now and try to get an assessment on the landscape as quickly as possible. And that is the extent of the timeline.”

Zeldin sees a stew of dynamics making it possible for a Republican to win in 2022: Anger at Gov. Andrew Cuomo, dissatisfaction with the state’s abysmal Covid-19 response, high taxes, and the poor business climate in New York.

→ What’s the GOP message?: “People do feel like this is it. We have to save our state, it’s a last stand. They cite the cost of living in New York, they talk about the high taxes, the issue with the loss of jobs, public safety eroded, New Yorkers cite the cashless bail law out of Albany a little over a year ago, they talk about the riots took place in New York City, the defund the police movement. The freedoms — some people are upset that their kids aren’t fully back in school yet, others are upset that their local restaurant still isn’t fully open, or they’re getting an earful from their friend who was the waitress or the owner. So there’s a lot of issues that are being expressed beyond what’s making all the news right now specifically about Andrew Cuomo. With regards to Gov. Cuomo specifically today, there are a lot of New Yorkers who feel like he’s been there too long and it’s time for change. That three terms is too much, let alone a fourth term. … 

“The calls that I’ve been receiving in recent days and weeks have been emotional calls. It is people who either sound like or are outright stating that this is a last stand politically for them. They either make a change in Albany or they are permanently leaving this state.”

→ Of course, 2022 could be a good year for Republicans if history is precedent. And that, combined with Cuomo’s fall, is part of the theory of the case for any Republican thinking of making a plunge. Zeldin said voters would look for a check to one-party rule in D.C. and Albany. 

→ If Zeldin is known for anything on Capitol Hill, it is his staunch support of Trump. That flies in his eastern Long Island district, where Trump remains popular. But it doesn’t seem like a sustainable proposition in a statewide race.

Here’s what Zeldin said on that: “I think of the door to knock on in October of 2022. And I ask the undecided voter, what is your top issue, or what are your top 50 issues. And I would expect them to talk about taxes, public safety, education, infrastructure, and more long before that average New Yorker is going to be talking about former presidents. And we’ve seen this post 2008, where Democrats overplayed the anti-Bush card after George Bush left office. After 2016 when Barack Obama left. Republicans overplaying the anti Obama card.”

→ New York has been in dire straits before — most recently after 9/11. But Zeldin says this latest crisis isn’t like crises of the past. “What feels very different right now from some of the last couple of times New York was greatly challenged — 9/11 comes to mind, late 80s, early 90s — each time you had New Yorkers who had a spirit of fighting through those challenges and helping to ensure that New York had brighter days ahead,” Zeldin said. “Now, they’re just leaving.”

Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) is also considering bid for governor. 

James Hohmann’s debut WaPo column: “Why were liberals so blind about Andrew Cuomo? They wanted to believe”

MOMENTS

10:30 a.m.: President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris will receive the daily intelligence briefing.

10:45 a.m.: Speaker Nancy Pelosi will hold her weekly press briefing.

12:45 p.m.: Jen Psaki and VA Secretary Denis McDonough will brief.

2 p.m.: Biden, Harris and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will meet with a group of lawmakers about an infrastructure bill.

5 p.m.: Biden will call members of the NASA team to congratulate them on the Mars landing.

CLIP FILE

NYT: “Biden Administration Steps Up Push for School Reopenings,” by Katie Rogers and Erica Green in Meriden, Conn.

“Biden Secretly Limits Counterterrorism Drone Strikes Away From War Zones,"  by Charlie Savage and Eric Schmitt

“Inspector General’s Report Cites Elaine Chao for Using Office to Help Family,” by Eric Lipton and Michael Forsythe

WaPo: “House Democrats pass sweeping elections bill as GOP legislatures push to restrict voting,” by Mike DeBonis

“In Trump probe, Manhattan district attorney puts pressure on his longtime chief financial officer,” by David A. Fahrenthold, Jonathan O’Connell, Shayna Jacobs and Tom Hamburger

WSJ: “Google’s User-Tracking Crackdown Has Advertisers Bracing for Change,” by Keach Hagey and Alexandra Bruell

“The Billionaire Behind the Biggest U.S. Tax Fraud Case Ever Filed,” by Miriam Gottfried and Mark Maremont

AP/London: “UK and 4 nations to fast-track modified COVID-19 vaccines”: “Regulators in the U.K. and four other countries plan to fast-track the development of modified COVID-19 vaccines to ensure that drugmakers are able to move swiftly in targeting emerging variants of the disease. Previously authorized vaccines that are modified to target new variants ‘will not need a brand new approval or ‘lengthy’ clinical studies,’ Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said in a statement.”

Politico: “Cuomo harassment scandal poses fresh #MeToo test for Democrats,” by Marianne Levine and Burgess Everett

OOPS

Rep. Lance Gooden’s vote flub

Texas GOP Rep. Lance Gooden, one of the most conservative members of the House, shocked leaders in both parties Wednesday when he voted in favor of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a major police reform initiative pushed by Democrats. Gooden was the only Republican who did so, in fact.

But Gooden quickly announced that he messed up and had really meant to vote no. “I have arguably the most conservative/America First voting record in Congress!” Gooden tweeted afterward. “Of course I wouldn’t support the radical left’s, Anti-Police Act. I have changed the official record to reflect my opposition!”

Gooden left the floor Wednesday night seemingly unaware he had voted yes. Three Republican lawmakers — Reps. Louie Gohmert (Texas), Kelly Armstrong (N.D.) and Randy Weber (Texas) — tried to change Gooden’s vote for him. This is a big, big no-no.

According to a source who was on the floor, each of the three members tried to give a red “No” card to the House clerks in order to change Gooden’s vote. These old-style “teller cards” are a backup to the electronic voting system. 

The floor clerks refused to accept the red cards from any of the three members. Proxy voting is allowed on the House floor, a member has to submit a letter authorizing that colleague to vote for them. The letter is then entered into the record and the vote read out loud.

But Gooden wasn’t voting by proxy. He cast his vote electronically and then left the floor. So what Gohmert, Armstrong and Weber did could potentially be a violation of House rules.

Gohmert, Armstrong and Weber’s offices didn’t respond to requests for comment on the incident Wednesday night.

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