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NEW: W.H. dispatches top aides to Hill ahead of possible Biden meeting
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PRESENTED BYBY JOHN BRESNAHAN, ANNA PALMER AND JAKE SHERMAN THE TOPNews: The White House is dispatching three of its top aides to Capitol Hill today for a flurry of meetings with senators, with the aim of trying to get a better handle on whether a bipartisan Senate infrastructure deal is possible. Louisa Terrell, the White House legislative affairs director, Steve Ricchetti, counselor to President Joe Biden, and Brian Deese, the director of the National Economic Council, will be on the Hill meeting with various permutations of the bipartisan group of 21 senators trying to craft an infrastructure deal. White House officials told us last night that they want to see real progress this week — although they’ve been saying that for a few weeks now. 🚨This is news: Assuming that these meetings go well, the administration plans to invite senators from this group to meet with Biden later this week at the White House. Meanwhile, members of the bipartisan group say they have made real progress. Still at issue are the pay fors, the budgetary offsets to cover the cost of nearly $1 trillion package. The group met late Monday in a small Capitol basement hideaway belonging to Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio), the lead Republican in these negotiations. Portman sat at the head of the table with shirtsleeves and an orange tie with no jacket, with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) next to him in a grey suit. Portman told us that increasing the gas tax and a tax on the miles driven by electric vehicles is still on the table for the GOP — even though the White House says they violate the administration’s pledge not to raise taxes on Americans making $400,000 or less. Portman said it’s incumbent on the White House to figure out another set of pay fors; the White House tells us they have made a number of suggestions. There will be a number of meetings today: the 10 original senators (5 R, 5D), the 11 Republicans who back this plan and the G20 will huddle. Portman emphasized it will take time to assemble a final package, even though there could be a deal in principle this week. Portman also noted that the group has used existing legislation as a foundation for much of this initiative to help speed up the timeline. “As I look at it, more than 60% of this bill has already been written, which really helps us,” Portman said. “Not that we’re going to get to a bill by the end of this week. It’s going to take longer. And it should.” Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) told reporters that the group may come to an agreement by this afternoon. But most other senators were far more cautious, given they have to get their leadership and the White House on board. Not to mention, they aren’t all too close on tying up the pay-for. So can this happen? Let’s examine. Upsides: Portman is a serious lawmaker who has the right mix of political considerations to get something done. He’s retiring, so he doesn’t have that immediate political hurdle. Portman understands policy; this is someone who has been a top White House official and served in the House and Senate leadership. And he has Senate Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) ear. Downside: The problem may be that there’s no one on the Democratic side of these talks who matches Portman’s experience level. You should still be skeptical that a deal will come together quickly. These kinds of agreements take forever to turn into legislative text. They still haven’t even settled on the right pay-for mix. We’re really at the beginning of the interesting part. PRESENTED BY COMCAST We’ve created a network with one simple purpose – to keep customers connected. Since 2017, Comcast has invested $15 billion to grow and evolve a smart, reliable network. Since working, learning, and entertaining moved to our homes last year, our coverage has helped millions of people stay connected when they need it most. Learn how the network keeps you connected. THE FOREVER-A-BUSTER Sinema to Dems: LOL Just read this and tell us in what universe you believe Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) is remotely close to blowing up the filibuster. Sinema in the Washington Post:
→ You’d have to be living on Earth 2 to believe that Sinema is interested in eliminating the filibuster. Literally. Another. Planet. → This is terrific for Senate Democratic moderates who feel the same but aren’t interested in being public about it. Between Sinema and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), they never have to say anything. → The Senate can debate the filibuster at any point. A senator could kick off that debate at any time on the floor, in theory. But why would Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Democrats want that? If Schumer has 50 votes to get rid of the filibuster, he’ll go to the Senate floor and do it. For the time being, it’s in Schumer’s interest to talk quietly behind the scenes about the filibuster. → Also, why would Democratic moderates like Sens. Mark Kelly (Ariz.) or Maggie Hassan (N.H.) want that debate? They don’t. Talking about Senate process probably isn’t going to help them win reelection. Speaking of the filibuster … Remember: The Senate will vote this evening — around 5:30 p.m. — on a procedural motion to proceed to the the Democratic voting rights bill. The Coverage: → NYT: “Democrats Unite Behind Voting Rights Bill as It Faces a Senate Roadblock,” by Nick Fandos → WaPo: “Activists gear up for battle as Senate Republicans prepare to block voting rights bill,” by Mike DeBonis and Elise Viebeck → Politico: “Manchin holds out until last minute on elections vote,” by Burgess Everett UPDATE Police reform is not dead yet Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) told us Monday evening that he’s still swapping offers for a sweeping police reform bill with Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and seems hopeful for a “handshake agreement” this week, before the July 4 recess. Scott, just off the Senate floor Monday evening: “We are in the process of allowing our law enforcement groups to engage and communicate back — they have communicated back over the weekend — so we have things to work on and now we have to go through the process between tonight and tomorrow of distilling where there is agreement … I assume that will be a great place for us to continue the conversation.” Scott told us he is looking this week for “something that tells me that we are not wasting our time.” 2022 Trump is not going to be speaker of the House. Stop it. New: There’s been some chatter that former President Donald Trump wants to be speaker of the House. No, you don’t have to be a member of Congress to be speaker. No, it’s not going to happen. It would be impossibly hard for Trump to become speaker, although it is theoretically possible. So we texted Jason Miller, who is Trump’s outgoing spokesman and longtime aide, who told us this: “[Trump] has zero desire to be speaker," Miller said. Trump, being Trump, never likes to say no to any idea that would get a headline. Here’s what Trump said Monday on David Brody’s show on CBN:
Just in case we’re not clear enough, Donald Trump is not going to be speaker of the House. Thank you. IMMIGRATION Durbin waits for Cornyn offer on Dreamers Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) continue to spearhead bipartisan talks on a narrow immigration package dealing with Dreamers, border security and migrant farm workers. One of the sticking points is how many immigrants would be covered under Dreamer legislation. Congress and successive presidents have wrestled with this issue for 20 years. Under the House-passed American Dream and Promise Act, as many as 4.4 million Dreamers or immigrants eligible under Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Enforced Departure could obtain a pathway to permanent residency, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Former President Donald Trump proposed a pathway to citizenship for as many as 1.8 million Dreamers in 2018 in return for border security provisions, like funding for the border wall between the United States and Mexico. More than 1.7 million Dreamers could qualify for permanent resident status under the latest version of the Dream Act introduced this year by Durbin and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). And there are roughly 640,000 recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. So any immigration deal would have to answer that question of numbers first. Cornyn also has put together a proposed border security bill with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.). With the huge surge in migrants trying to cross into the United States via the southern border — and considering how hard Republicans have hit President Joe Biden on this issue — this is a must-have issue for the GOP side. “Right now, there’s a proposal to deal with DACA, a bipartisan border solutions bill, if there’s a deal to be had on [migrant] farm workers, and TPS recipients,” Cornyn said Monday night. “I’m not sure where TPS figures in all this. But that’s the current proposal, so we’ll see if we can agree on some parameters for those three things: DACA, farm workers and the border.” “I’ve agreed to focus on those three things and see if we can come up with some parameters that would make sense and that I can support,” Cornyn added. The Texas Republican said he hoped to have something to Durbin this week. D.C. STATEHOOD Senate panel looks at making Washington the 51st state By Max Cohen The movement for D.C. statehood, a long-time goal of voting rights activists and a rallying cry for the Democratic base, is gaining a high-profile hearing in front of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee today. Making the District the 51st state is a big deal for Senate Democrats and is backed by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and President Joe Biden. The House approved a D.C. statehood bill in April, the second time that’s happened. But there’s no realistic chance for the bill to pass the Senate — unless Democrats decide to blow up the filibuster. There’s no way Republicans will vote for two additional Democratic senators. Remember: 92% of D.C. residents voted for Biden in 2020. In the 15 election cycles since 1964 when D.C. residents have voted for president, the Democratic nominee has notched an average of 85% support. Look for progressives to tie the failure of D.C. statehood to the flailing efforts to pass the Democrats’ signature voting rights legislation, the For The People Act. Expect pressure to heat up on Schumer to end the filibuster if Democrats’ chief pieces of legislation remain stalled in the upper chamber. Republicans slammed the bill earlier this spring as an attempt to solidify Democratic control of Congress. Democrats contend the bill is a necessary step to achieving their civil rights and racial justice platform, and they note D.C. would have a higher proportion of Black residents than any existing state The hearing will examine Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton’s (D-D.C.) bill, The Washington, D.C. Admission Act, which passed the House in a party-line 216-208 vote in April. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) is the lead author of the legislation in the Senate. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) is among the witnesses scheduled for the hearing, along with National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial. Former Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), the Democrat-turned-independent who supports statehood, will deliver introductory remarks along with Norton. Republican witnesses include Roger Pilon, the vice president for legal affairs at the Cato Institute. He labeled D.C. statehood a “fool’s errand” in 2016. FOREVER WARS Senate Foreign Relations postpones AUMF repeal vote The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has postponed a vote on repealing the 2002 resolution authorizing the United States to take military action against Iraq, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) told us. Menendez is the committee’s chair. The SFRC was scheduled to take up a repeal resolution on Tuesday. But under committee rules, any senator can ask for a delay until the next business meeting of the panel, and that’s happened. Menendez said a vote could occur as soon as Thursday, when the committee has another business meeting, although he still wasn’t sure of timing when we spoke to him. The House voted last week to repeal the Iraq AUMF by a 268-161 vote, with 49 Republicans crossing the aisle to vote with Democrats. This is the fourth time the House has voted for repeal, although it’s never gone anywhere in the Senate. Menendez, though, predicted it would pass his panel when it did come up. “I believe it will go through,” Menendez said. “It has total Democratic support, it has a couple Republicans supporting it. So I believe it will go through, certainly the committee. The question is on the floor.” As for that, Menendez said, “I don’t think there’s a good argument to continue an AUMF that even the administration doesn’t think it needs. There’s still the other [9/11] AUMF that seems to provide an incredible breadth and scope of authority. I can’t understand why there can’t be support for it. I think there are several Republican members both on and off the committee who are interested in supporting it.” While President Joe Biden has backed repeal of the Iraq resolution, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and a number of other Republicans — such as Sen. Jim Inhofe (Okla.), ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee — are opposed. How widespread this sentiment is still unclear, but we’ll know more soon. MOMENTS 10:15 a.m.: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will get their intelligence briefing. 12:30 p.m.: Biden and Harris will have lunch. … The Covid response team will brief reporters. 1 p.m.: Jen Psaki will brief reporters. 1:45 p.m.: Biden will meet with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and Homeland Security Adviser Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall. 2 p.m.: Senate Republican and Democratic lunches break up, and leaders head to the microphones. CLIP FILE Seattle Times → “Boeing ousts longtime head of government relations in Washington, D.C.,” by Dominic Gates: “Tim Keating, Boeing’s executive vice president of government operations, the company’s chief lobbyist and political strategist in Washington, D.C., and a leading figure on the jet maker’s leadership council, is ‘no longer with the company.’ “That was the curt wording in a Monday afternoon memo from Chief Executive Dave Calhoun to Boeing’s government operations team, telling them that “effective immediately” Marc Allen, the company’s chief strategy officer, would abruptly take over Keating’s role on an interim basis. Calhoun’s memo provided no explanation for Keating’s sudden departure, which happened without warning or transition. His message included not a word of praise or thanks for the departing executive, indicating that Keating has been ousted against his will.” NYT → “Supreme Court Gives Goldman Sachs a Do-Over in Securities Fraud Suit,” by Adam Liptak → “Biden is considering a one-month extension of the federal eviction freeze,” by Glenn Thrush → “When It Comes to Big City Elections, Republicans Are in the Wilderness,” by Alex Burns and Jonathan Martin WaPo → “Federal judge tosses most claims against Trump, Barr and U.S. officials in clearing of Lafayette Square,” by Spencer Hsu → “Biden launches an effort to head off violent crime — and political peril for his party,” by Annie Linskey, Tyler Pager and Cleve Wootson Jr. FT → “‘It’s a sovereignty issue’: Bermuda digs in against global tax deal,” by Gary Silverman in Hamilton, Bermuda PRESENTED BY COMCAST 2020 was historic. In the span of four months in the wake of pandemic lockdowns, Comcast’s network experienced almost two years’ worth of traffic growth. 2020 saw a 38% increase in downstream traffic and 56% increase in upstream traffic over 2019 levels. Comcast’s network was prepared. Since 2017, Comcast has invested $15 billion to grow and evolve a smart, reliable network that helped millions of people stay connected when they need it most. Learn how the network keeps you connected. Enjoying Punchbowl News AM? Subscribe 10 friends with your unique link (below) and get a Punchbowl News hat! Your referral link is: Or share via You currently have: 0 referrals
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