The Archive
Every issue of the Punchbowl News newsletter, including our special editions, right here at your fingertips.
Join the community, and get the morning edition delivered straight to your inbox.
Presented by Pharmaceutical Reform Alliance
Big Pharma hikes up drug prices every year, most recently on over 800 prescription drugs. But did you know these price hikes are often unjustified? For too long, Big Pharma has profited on the backs of hardworking Americans. Enough is enough.
![]() PRESENTED BY![]() BY JOHN BRESNAHAN, ANNA PALMER AND JAKE SHERMAN THE TOPGood morning. Late on Wednesday afternoon, we hopped on a Zoom call with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to talk about her legislative priorities — helping to get billions of dollars in funding for the U.S. semiconductor industry, the “care economy” and passing an infrastructure bill. We’ve heard about Raimondo from people on the Hill — how she’s jumping into these issues with lawmakers. So it was useful for us to hear Raimondo talk through her priorities, how she hopes to achieve them and how she’s going to brush back on criticism even from fellow Democrats. A few highlights: → Q: What do you say to Democrats who say semiconductor manufacturers are making a ton of money and don’t need money from the government. A: “First of all, if we thought they could and would do it on their own, then this wouldn’t be necessary. But the truth of the matter is they can’t and they won’t, and we want them to make these investments in America. And therefore, we’re going to provide an incentive for them to put the jobs and the factories in America. “Secondly, they need to put skin in the game. You know, $52 billion, although it’s a very large number, is not nearly enough. And so what our job is to do is to take $52 billion and use it to unlock two or three times that in private capital. The $52 billion if we do this right should unleash 100 plus billion of private capital, and in research and development, in job training, in creating these manufacturing facilities. So it’s definitely not a it’s not a free lunch for these companies. They have to have skin in the game to do it.” → Q: What do you say to lawmakers who are concerned about the cost of the “care economy” provisions of Joe Biden’s agenda? A: “I’d like to think that as Americans, we can agree on the basic principle that you should not work full time and live in poverty. And there are millions of American women right now working full time working 60 plus hours a week, doing back-breaking work, taking care of our loved ones and living in poverty, or just about in poverty. So it’s not an entitlement, it’s the right thing to do.” 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. CHEAT SHEET What you need to know about infrastructure, and the Biden agenda ![]() OK, so here’s the deal. A group of 10 moderate Senate Democrats and Republicans reached an agreement last night on a framework for a “hard” infrastructure package. This group of senators — the negotiations were led by Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) — are set to head down to the White House today to discuss their proposal with President Joe Biden. White House officials were in the room throughout yesterday’s discussions (and a big chunk of Tuesday), so Biden is fully aware of what’s in the agreement. The bipartisan package includes: → $559 billion in new spending. (They had to fudge some broadband money, which brought the number down from $579 billion). → The overall cost is $953 billion. But this is very far from a done deal. The lights are going down, and the band is just taking the stage. → Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters last night they plan to get the bipartisan infrastructure bill and a budget resolution through Congress next month. Passage of that budget resolution will allow the House and Senate to then take up a massive, multi-trillion dollar reconciliation package focused on “human” infrastructure, either in August or late September. → Linkage is the key concept here. Schumer and Pelosi warned that Congress cannot pass the bipartisan “hard” infrastructure package without doing the social spending package. This was a message as much for their own Democratic factions — moderates and progressives — as it was for Republicans. “One can’t be done without the other. All of us agree to that,” Schumer said. “We can’t get the bipartisan bill done unless we’re sure of getting the budget reconciliation bill done. We can’t get the budget reconciliation bill done unless we’re sure of the bipartisan [bill]. I think our members across the spectrum realize that. Our Democrat members.” All of which is a lot easier said than done. Both chambers need to pass the same budget resolution in the next few weeks to meet that deadline. And here’s the catch: the Senate is gone beginning this afternoon for two weeks (18 days in real life.) We caught up with Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) Wednesday morning before this deal was cut. Jayapal said that she wanted the totality of both packages to move at the same time. Meaning, if Jayapal were asked to swallow the bipartisan infrastructure deal, she would want to be able to vote on the “human” infrastructure bill at the same time — not only the resolution that allows for a later vote. “We don’t have a lot of faith in, ‘I promise I’ll do this,’” Jayapal said. → Can the bipartisan infrastructure bill pass the Senate? Good question. It’s too early to tell. But remember, this legislation is going to need 60 votes to pass. The key, on the Republican side, as always, will be Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Portman is in leadership and he’s briefed McConnell throughout this package. McConnell, though, hasn’t committed one way or the other, and we don’t expect the Kentucky Republican to take a position until he’s walked through all the different scenarios for this package and its political impact. The same goes for Schumer on the Democratic side. Schumer has not endorsed the bipartisan package, but he and Pelosi “support the concepts we’ve heard about it.” → Can the bipartisan deal pass the House? That’s a good question, too. Pelosi only has a four-seat margin, 220-211. You can be sure that the House GOP leadership will be against this package, and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) seems certain to push the entire GOP Conference to vote no. So the question then becomes: Will every House Democrat vote for this? If so, great. It passes. If not, can Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) — Problem Solvers Caucus co-chairs — bring a few Republicans along? → The bipartisan Senate group is saying their package is fully paid for. We started hearing complaints last night from some Republicans that this G10 group is using a funky scoring metric to account for the budgetary offsets. Expect this to be a problem when they start whipping Senate Republicans. → Timing: This is a tremendously important issue as well. Getting the budget resolution done in July is critical, as is completing the drafting and scoring of the bipartisan package. Could this all be ready for floor consideration in July? “Ambitious but possible,” one Senate aide said. If not, expect legislative work to bleed into the early part of August. The early September schedule is tight due to the Jewish High Holidays, but leaders have the ability to add days in D.C. in October. → Some lawmakers and aides in both parties have suggested that Democrats should slip the debt limit into the bipartisan package. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Wednesday that the debt limit needs to be lifted by August. → What happens to the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan — Biden’s large-scale, signature proposals? They have a combined $4 trillion-plus price tag, which is what the White House says is necessary for “once-in-generation investments in our nation’s future.” There are elements of both plans in the Senate bipartisan package. Now Democrats will have to pass the rest on their own. More on this below. The Coverage: → WaPo: “Bipartisan group of senators to brief Biden on infrastructure ‘framework’ after potential breakthrough in talks,” by Seung Min Kim → NYT: “Biden and Senators Close In on Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal,” by Jim Tankersly and Emily Cochrane BTW: It’s going to be a crazy summer and fall in D.C. Trillions of dollars moving through Congress, debt ceiling and government funding all between now and the end of the year. Subscribe to Punchbowl News Premium for all of our content (three editions each weekday), in-person events and frequent briefings. AND HOW ABOUT THIS? Bipartisan Senate deal raises questions about Biden’s agenda ![]() So now that there’s a tentative deal — a “bipartisan framework” — on a Senate “hard” infrastructure package, what’s the outlook for the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan, President Joe Biden’s signature legislative proposals? What will a reconciliation package look like that covers both proposals, and when will it reach the Senate floor for a vote? And most importantly, can Biden and Democratic leaders get these proposals through Congress on a party line vote? That is the $4 trillion question. Of course, this is all based on the bipartisan Senate deal passing. If it doesn’t, everything becomes a straight partisan brawl. Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chairs of the House and Senate Budget panels respectively, had been planning to mark up budget resolutions containing reconciliation instructions the week of July 12. The two Democrats would then bring their resolutions to the floor the following week. In Sanders’ case, that would involve a “votearama,” with hundreds of amendments offered by Republicans before final passage. But with no filibuster allowed in the Senate and only a simple majority required for passage, this is the only way for Democrats to move either proposal through Congress. Yarmuth acknowledged on Wednesday that the timing for his budget resolution was “relatively squishy,” although he believes that House Democrats could push through a $4 trillion budget resolution on a party line vote. But it won’t be easy. “We’re trying to coordinate with the Senate. And right now, the indications we’ve got is that the Senate is not going to be ready,” Yarmuth said Wednesday afternoon, several hours before the Senate bipartisan deal was announced. “That’s a big part of the calculation of when we bring it to the floor — we gotta figure out what we can pass.” Sanders, for his part, has floated a roughly $6 trillion reconciliation package that has no chance of getting through the Senate, and a less than zero percent chance of winning House approval — literally a negative number. Sanders is working his Senate Democratic colleagues hard on his plan, but it’s too much for some moderates. However, the bipartisan Senate infrastructure deal alters the dynamic for Yarmuth, Sanders, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). In some ways, it may make it easier to pass a reconciliation bill, in some ways, it makes it harder. Schumer has gently backed a bipartisan infrastructure deal for two reasons: first, he believes it’s good policy; and second, it helps him with reconciliation. Supporting the bipartisan “G10” group’s negotiations shows Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) that Schumer will live up to his word, and now they need to join with other Senate Democrats in voting for reconciliation. Schumer and Pelosi have made clear the bipartisan infrastructure package and reconciliation bill are linked. This is a not-too-subtle message to Sinema and Manchin. Knocking $1 trillion off a reconciliation package also makes it easier to offset the cost of the American Families Plan and American Jobs Plan. A less expensive reconciliation package means Democrats can enact a smaller tax increase on corporations and wealthy Americans. Moderates will like that, although a $3 trillion reconciliation bill is still a heavy lift. Yet the bipartisan deal focuses on “hard” infrastructure — roads, highways, bridges, rail lines, airports, etc. These are popular projects, and lawmakers like to vote for them. Taking them out of any reconciliation package means that legislation will skew more heavily toward spending on social programs — which have trickier politics — and could make it a tougher vote for moderates. Sanders and other progressives may also see this as a chance to get even more ambitious legislatively. Sanders is already pushing for expanding Medicare’s reach to cover dental, healing and vision costs, and he wants to lower the eligibility age to 60 or even 55. One more critical issue — timing. How long will it take lawmakers and aides to craft both the bipartisan infrastructure deal and the reconciliation package? Do these votes cut into the August recess, or do party leaders aim for late September or October? The longer you wait, the harder the vote gets, as Schumer and Pelosi know very well. FOREVER WARS Committee vote on repeal of 2002 Iraq AUMF delayed until mid-July The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has postponed a vote on a bipartisan resolution repealing the 2002 resolution that authorized the U.S. military campaign in Iraq until at least mid-July, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) told us Wednesday. Menendez also said he’s working to schedule a classified briefing for committee members on the policy implications of this move, which is opposed by a number of top Senate Republicans. This comes after five GOP senators on Foreign Relations — Mitt Romney of Utah, Marco Rubio of Florida, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Bill Hagerty of Tennessee — asked for a delay in the committee vote on the repeal resolution, which is authored by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.). Such requests are allowed under committee rules. “We should fully evaluate the conditions on the ground, the implications of repealing the 2002 AUMF for our friends, and how adversaries — including ISIS and Iranian backed militia groups — would react,” the GOP senators said in a June 19 letter to Menendez. “It is also important to consider the policy and potential legal consequences of our reduced presence in the region and the impending withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan.” The Republican senators want Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to testify publicly before the panel. They also sought a classified briefing from State, Defense and Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Menendez is working on arranging the classified briefing, but he didn’t commit to a public hearing on the matter. “Under the committee’s rules, any member can ask for a piece of legislation to be held over for one business meeting. So we had a couple of members who did. I honored that,” Menendez said. “They expressed an interest in having a briefing. I am arranging that, a classified briefing. So they can ask all the questions they want, they can get the answers.” Menendez added that the White House “has already put out a ‘Statement of Administration Policy’ that they support the repeal. Not necessary for them to do this necessarily. I want to try to assuage whatever concerns [the GOP senators] because this should not be a partisan issue.” The Senate adjourns today until July 12, meaning no repeal vote would take place until then at least. The House voted last week to repeal the AUMF, and President Joe Biden has come out in support for the action as well. MOMENTS 10:15 a.m.: President Joe Biden will receive his daily intelligence briefing. 10:45 a.m.: Speaker Nancy Pelosi will hold her weekly news conference. 2 p.m.: Biden will leave the White House for Andrews, where he will fly to Raleigh. He’s set to arrive at 3:30 p.m. Karine Jean-Pierre will gaggle on AF1. 4:15 p.m.: Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with organizations helping the administration get vaccinated. 4:50 p.m.: Biden will visit a mobile vaccination unit and meet with frontline workers and volunteers. 5:15 p.m.: Biden will speak about vaccinations at the Green Road Community Center. 6:35 p.m.: Biden will depart Raleigh for Andrews, where he will arrive at 7:35 p.m. ahead of a 7:55 arrival at the White House. CLIP FILE NYT → “The White House plans to send 3 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine to Brazil on Thursday,” by Noah Weiland → “Biden Aims to Bolster Police Departments as Homicides Increase,” by Zolan Kanno-Youngs → “Top U.S. Officials Consulted With BlackRock as Markets Melted Down,” by Jeanna Smialek WSJ → “Google, Facebook Pressure Falls Short as Antitrust Measures Advance in House Committee,” by John McKinnon BTW: This hearing was still going on at 5 a.m. and it recessed until 11 a.m. early this morning. It started yesterday morning. Politico → “Democrats hurtle toward debt deadline without a clear plan,” by Caitlin Emma → “Dems pan proposed Colorado redistricting map,” by Ally Mutnick → “Progressives are no longer so pleasantly thrilled with the Biden era,” by Laura Barrón López and Nicholas Wu Correction: We wrote in yesterday’s PM edition that Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) was in the bipartisan infrastructure meeting. It was Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). Our fault. Apologies.
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. ![]() 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
|

Crucial Capitol Hill news AM, Midday, and PM—5 times a week
Join a community of some of the most powerful people in Washington and beyond. Exclusive newsmaker events, parties, in-person and virtual briefings and more.
Subscribe to Premium
The Canvass Year-End Report
And what senior aides and downtown figures believe will happen in 2023.
Check it outEvery single issue of Punchbowl News published, all in one place
Visit the archive
Presented by Pharmaceutical Reform Alliance
Americans know who to blame for rising drug prices: Big Pharma. A majority of Republicans, Democrats, & Independents all believe Big Pharma’s focus on profits keeps drug prices high. Let’s hold Big Pharma accountable – it’s an issue we’re united on.