|
Presented by The U.S. Chamber of Commerce: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | |  | | By Garrett Ross | Presented by The U.S. Chamber of Commerce | | 
Speaker Kevin McCarthy wants to release his plan to avert a debt limit crisis today, with eyes on a vote next week. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | SIREN — Goldman Sachs put out a memo this morning projecting that the U.S. could reach its debt limit “in the first half of June.” “While the data are still very preliminary, weak tax collections so far in April suggest an increased probability that the debt limit deadline will be reached in the first half of June,” the memo states. “At this point we see a slightly greater chance that the deadline is in late July, but this could easily change to a base case of early June if tax receipts continue to undershoot.” Read the full memo, via NBC’s Sahil Kapur DETAILS COMING TODAY — “Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY is vowing to publicly unveil details of his party’s debt limit plan later Wednesday,” our colleague Sarah Ferris reports. “The California Republican also promised the House GOP would approve the bill by next week, a task that’s likely to prove complicated given the internal frustration about the path forward aired during a closed-door conference meeting on Tuesday.” What to watch for: McCarthy is expected to deliver a floor speech later today that could shed more light on specific details in the package he’s crafting, a senior Republican familiar with the matter tells Sarah. Part of that plan: “Inside McCarthy’s controversial plan to shrink food aid,” by Meredith Lee Hill BIDEN WINDS UP TO PUNCH BACK — President JOE BIDEN “plans to travel Wednesday to a union facility in Maryland to highlight what the White House characterized as ‘extreme’ spending cuts expected in the emerging Republican legislation,” WaPo’s John Wagner writes. Today’s event follows a call that Biden had last night with Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER and House Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES. The readout: “‘President Biden, Leader Schumer, and Leader Jeffries agree that we won’t negotiate over default and Republicans should pass a clean bill like they did three times in the previous administration,’ said a White House readout of the call, referring to the three occasions Congress raised the debt limit during the Trump administration without Republicans insisting upon conditions being attached,” per WaPo. “The statement serves as a blunt message Biden and fellow Democrats are trying to send to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.): Don’t waste your time cobbling together a bill that might clear the House but will go nowhere in the Democratic-led Senate.” HAPPENING TODAY — “Anti-abortion group launches new pill challenge as SCOTUS mulls sweeping restrictions,” by Alice Miranda Ollstein POLL POSITION IN S.C. — National Public Affairs is out with some new polling on the nascent GOP presidential primary. The poll surveyed South Carolina Republican voters on their top choices in the race from April 11-14. The topline: Trump is in the driver’s seat, with a lead of more than 20 percentage points over the next closest option. Question: “If the 2024 Republican primary election for President was held today, and you had to make a choice, for whom would you vote?”
- Former President DONALD TRUMP: 43%
- Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS: 21%
- NIKKI HALEY: 19%
- Sen. TIM SCOTT: 7%
- Former VP MIKE PENCE: 2%
- VIVEK RAMASWAMY: 1%
- MIKE POMPEO: 1%
- ASA HUTCHINSON: 1%
- Undecided: 6%
The firm is currently unaffiliated with any campaign — though it is run by Trump alums BILL STEPIEN and JUSTIN CLARK — and plans to conduct more 2024 polling throughout the cycle. The full results … The polling memo Good Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at gross@politico.com.
| | | | A message from The U.S. Chamber of Commerce: American companies are facing an unacceptable threat: our own government. Over the last 10 years concerns about policy risks—like changes in taxes, regulations, and enforcement—have increased by 27%, according to our study. This threatens business growth, innovation, and our global competitiveness.
To combat this alarming trend, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is holding regulators accountable, and challenging overreach at every turn. Read the study. | | | CONGRESS ALSO HAPPENING TODAY — “House Republicans ready border enforcement push after delays,” by AP’s Stephen Groves: “Republicans on Wednesday are jumpstarting work on an immigration and border enforcement package that would remake immigration law to make it more difficult to apply for asylum and easier for the federal government to stop migrants from entering the U.S. Rep. JIM JORDAN, the Republican who is chair of the Judiciary Committee drafting the legislation, said he expected Wednesday’s markup of the bill to go ‘well.’” ALL POLITICS LIFE ON THE LEFT — “For Progressive Democrats, New Momentum Clashes With Old Debates,” by NYT’s Jazmine Ulloa and Lisa Lerer: “Interviews with more than 25 progressive and moderate Democratic leaders and strategists — including current and former members of Congress and directors of national and statewide groups — revealed a behind-the-scenes tug of war over the party’s policy agenda, messaging and tactics. As the party looks toward next year’s elections, its key constituencies have undergone a transformation. Once mostly white, working-class voters, Democrats now tend to be affluent, white liberals, Black moderates and a more diverse middle class.” ABORTION ON THE BALLOT — “The New Pro-life Movement Has a Plan to End Abortion,” by The Atlantic’s Elaine Godfrey: “Even as the anti-abortion movement lacks a Next Big Objective, a new generation of anti-abortion leaders is ascendant — one that is arguably bolder and more uncompromising than its predecessors. This cohort, still high on the fumes of last summer’s victory, is determined to construct its ideal post-Roe America. And it’s forging ahead — come hell, high water, or public disgust.” PAYING FOR IT — “He’s rich. He’s pugilistic. And he’s quietly paying to get Gavin Newsom’s attention,” by Christopher Cadelago in Sacramento: “On the surface, it gives off the appearance of an organic movement of concerned citizens. A draft letter intended for Gov. GAVIN NEWSOM demands that he do more to help lower the exorbitant cost of housing in California. … MICHAEL WEINSTEIN, a polarizing nonprofit honcho from Los Angeles, is paying roving pamphleteers $2 for every signature they get for it, according to copies of the nonprofit’s correspondence obtained by POLITICO and interviews with people familiar with the strategy.” ONE TO WATCH — “Exoneree featured in Netflix’s ‘The Innocence Files’ launches campaign for Congress,” by CNN’s Shania Shelton TRUMP CARDS HE’S OUT — “Ex-Trump Organization CFO Weisselberg released from jail,” by Reuters’ Karen Freifeld
| | | | GO INSIDE THE 2023 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO is proud to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage, insider nuggets and unparalleled insights from the 2023 Global Conference, which will convene leaders in health, finance, politics, philanthropy and entertainment from April 30-May 3. This year’s theme, Advancing a Thriving World, will challenge and inspire attendees to lean into building an optimistic coalition capable of tackling the issues and inequities we collectively face. Don’t miss a thing — subscribe today for a front row seat. | | | | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD LEAK LATEST — “Airman Jack Teixeira’s Detention Hearing Postponed,” by WSJ’s Sadie Gurman in Boston and Nancy Youssef in Washington: “In a court filing Wednesday, the day originally scheduled for the hearing, Airman [JACK] TEIXEIRA’s lawyers said the government agreed to their request for ‘more time to address the issues presented by the government’s request for detention.’ Federal prosecutors had been expected to outline more of their evidence Wednesday linking Airman Teixeira, 21 years old, to the leaks that exposed significant vulnerabilities in the way the U.S. protects some of its most closely held secrets.” Related read: “Jack Teixeira left tracks online, but was seen as quiet in his hometown,” by WaPo’s Justine McDaniel AUSTIN ABROAD — “Austin huddles with leaders in Sweden as momentum builds for NATO bid,” by Lara Seligman and Lili Bayer at Muskö Naval Base, Sweden: “For now, Turkey and Hungary are still holding up Sweden’s accession. But sitting across from Swedish Defense Minister PÅL JONSON in a tiny, wood-paneled room deep inside a maze of tunnels at the Muskö naval base, built into the side of a mountain, [Defense Secretary LLOYD] AUSTIN said he hopes to see Stockholm join NATO before the July leaders’ summit.” ON THE GROUND IN UKRAINE — “‘A dream’: Patriot systems arrive in Ukraine,” by Matt Berg DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS — “3 Nuclear Superpowers, Rather Than 2, Usher In a New Strategic Era,” by NYT’s David Sanger, William Broad and Chris Buckley: “This new reality is prompting a broad rethinking of American nuclear strategy that few anticipated a dozen years ago, when President BARACK OBAMA envisioned a world that was inexorably moving toward eliminating all nuclear weapons. Instead, the United States is now facing questions about how to manage a three-way nuclear rivalry, which upends much of the deterrence strategy that has successfully avoided nuclear war.” MEGATREND — “India Is Passing China in Population. Can Its Economy Ever Do the Same?” by NYT’s Mujib Mashal and Alex Travelli POLICY CORNER FOR YOUR RADAR — “DEA chief faces probe into ‘swampy’ hires, no-bid contracts,” by AP’s Joshua Goodman and Jim Mustian: “A federal watchdog is investigating whether the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration under chief ANNE MILGRAM improperly awarded millions of dollars in no-bid contracts to hire her past associates, people familiar with the probe told The Associated Press.” IMMIGRATION FILES — “Prayers, a Glitchy App and a Five-Minute Race for Migrants at Border to Win Entry to U.S.,” by WSJ’s Michelle Hackman in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico: “The app routinely stalls or presents error messages. It has trouble recognizing the faces of migrants with darker complexions, an issue the government has acknowledged and pledged to resolve. Migrants with more advanced cellphones, or a better cell signal or Wi-Fi connection, stand a better chance of making it through the app’s several screens to secure a slot before they run out. The largest issue, though, is that there are far fewer appointment slots than the tens of thousands of migrants who want them.” WHEN THE CHIPS ARE DOWN — “A Tech Industry Pioneer Sees a Way for the U.S. to Lead in Advanced Chips,” by NYT’s John Markoff
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | BEYOND THE BELTWAY DeSANTIS DOWNLOAD — “DeSantis appointees begin reshaping Disney World’s district,” by AP’s Mike Schneider in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. … “Florida expands so-called ‘don’t say gay’ ban through 12th grade in public schools,” by the Orlando Sentinel’s Leslie Postal PLAYBOOKERS Mallory McMorrow is marking the one-year anniversary of her viral speech on the floor of the Michigan Senate with a new video and round of outreach to donors, Adam Wren reports. The new video OUT AND ABOUT — The National 4-H Council hosted their annual Congressional Breakfast this morning, where former 4-H’er Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) received the 4-H Distinguished Alumni Medallion. SPOTTED: Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), Reps. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) and Andy Harris (R-Md.), Jennifer Sirangelo, Krysta Harden, and Dionne Toombs. — SPOTTED last night at a party hosted by Bob Bauer at the Lounge at Metropolitan Square for Samuel Issacharoff’s new book, “Democracy Unmoored: Populism and the Corruption of Popular Sovereignty” ($29.95): Anita Dunn, Ian Sams, Alicia O’Brien, Craig Becker, Neil Eggleston, Molly Levinson and Josh Wachs, Bob Lenhard, Jonathan Martin, Betsy Woodruff Swan, Ruth Marcus and Timothy Dyk. — Arnold Ventures hosted a rooftop reception to commemorate Second Chance Month and recognize the leaders of the newly formed House Second Chance Caucus, which focuses on bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation. SPOTTED: Reps. David Trone (D-Md.), Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), and John Rutherford (R-Fla.), Cheri Bustos, Doug Collins, James Williams, Ja’Ron Smith, Kevin Ring, Jason Pye, Julie James, Holly Harris and Jenna Bottler. TRANSITIONS — Melanie Nash is now senior programmatic account manager on the Trade Desk’s political team. She most recently was at Google and is a Direct Persuasion alum. … Adam Ginsburg is now media associate for voting rights and redistricting at the Campaign Legal Center. He previously was deputy voter protection director at the Florida Democratic Party. … Samuel Wojcicki is now senior director of climate policy at the National Audubon Society. He most recently was legislative director for Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.). … … Red Horse Strategies has added Olivia James as media and comms associate and Ryan Coker as art director. … Kristina Britt is now director of comms for the United States Digital Service. She most recently was communication lead of solutions at the technology transformation services division of the General Services Administration. WEEKEND WEDDING — Craig Thomas, account manager at Armis and a John Barrasso and Senate Environment and Public Works alum, and Abby Johe, manager at the Siegfried Group, got married Saturday at the Stonewall Resort in Roanoke, W.Va. Pic … SPOTTED: Pat Thomas, Kathi Wise, Jake Kennedy, Jordan Pakula, Bronwyn Lance, Rob Daly, Chaz Ziegler and Vince Kreul. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine.
| | | | American companies are facing an unacceptable threat: our own government. Over the last 10 years concerns about policy risks—like changes in taxes, regulations, and enforcement—have increased by 27%, according to our study. This threatens business growth, innovation, and our global competitiveness.
Constant shifts in power in Washington, an increasingly partisan approach to lawmaking, and a growing willingness to overregulate, rather than legislate, are driving these concerns.
To combat this alarming trend, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is helping companies navigate these risks, holding regulators accountable, and challenging overreach at every turn. Read the study. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |  |
