The fight Dems didn't want

Politico

14-03-2025

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With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
Happy Friday. This is Zack Stanton. Get in touch.
IN MEMORIAM: 'Rep. Raúl Grijalva, one of Arizona's longest-serving congressmen, dies at 77,' by the Arizona Republic's Ronald Hansen and Laura Gersony: 'Rep. Raúl Manuel Grijalva, the son of a Mexican immigrant who rose to the halls of Congress in a public-service career that stretched more than 40 years, died Thursday after a battle with lung cancer. He was 77.' More from the Tucson Sentinel … the Arizona Daily Star
YOUR MORNING LISTEN: Trump 2024 co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita sits down with my colleague Dasha Burns for a rollicking, wide-ranging conversation on this week's episode of 'Playbook Deep Dive.' Among the highlights:
On Project 2025: 'A ton of stuff in Project 2025 is your standard Republican fare. … But there was some stuff in there where we were like, 'Where the hell did that come from?''
On Susie Wiles: 'When you're dealing with me, you see me coming a mile away. I make a lot of noise. Susie, she'll sneak right up on you.'
On Musk and DOGE: 'They're not going to cut Social Security. … He's not the president. He doesn't get to make those decisions.'
On tariffs and market volatility: 'There's a lot of shock therapy going on right now. It's very fast. It's a lot. It's literally ripping the bandaid off.'
On 2028: 'It's a little early and I mean, the shit-stirers are always trying to stir. But JD [Vance] is just fundamentally not only a good person, a brilliant person but I think he's more than capable of carrying on the MAGA mantle.'
Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify … Watch on YouTube
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Senate Majority Leader John Thune is 'at his professional apex. Turns out it's a personal crossroads.' That is the crux of a magisterial new profile by POLITICO's Michael Kruse, who goes deep on the South Dakotan and finds a preternaturally driven man who's 'unambiguously conservative but temperamentally moderate — a collaborator instead of a combatant, even-keeled and deliberative when so much of the populace seems to want intemperate attacks.' It's an uncommonly rare look of one of Washington's most important people — one that leaves you feeling like you have a sense of the actual human being behind the political profile. You're going to want to make time to read it.
DRIVING THE DAY
NOT THE FIGHT DEMS WANTED TODAY: Ahead of a midnight deadline to fund the government … at a moment when escalating tariffs and raging economic uncertainty have put the Dow on track for its worst week in two years … as President Donald Trump is expected to invoke the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to carry out mass deportations as soon as today … with the president due to speak this afternoon at the Justice Department amid ongoing concerns about its independence and the rule of law … Democrats are seized by a debate over Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's reluctant support for the House GOP's continuing resolution to avoid a shutdown.
The summary: On Tuesday, the House approved a stopgap that would keep the federal government funded through the end of the fiscal year, 217-213. … On Wednesday, Schumer announced that the House-backed CR did not not have the eight Democratic votes needed to overcome a filibuster — which some observers interpreted to mean that Schumer was going to go all-in on opposing the CR. … Yesterday, Schumer announced that he will support the CR.
What Schumer said: 'As bad as passing the continuing resolution would be, I believe a government shutdown is far worse,' he wrote in a Times op-ed, launching into four primary reasons for that calculation: (1) A shutdown would give Trump and Elon Musk the ability to 'destroy vital government services at a significantly faster rate than they can right now;' (2) Republicans could use the shutdown to 'cherry-pick which parts of government to reopen;' (3) it'd mean 'real pain for American families,' and; (4) it would distract from the 'chaos' reining across government and the economy.
Cue the outrage. While it's almost a certainty that there are a sufficient number of Senate Dems who privately share Schumer's thinking, you sure didn't hear from them in the ensuing maelstrom of reactions.
Today, you're going to want to watch a few different things …
1. The split within the Senate Dem caucus. Support for the CR does not break down neatly along ideological lines. Yes, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) will vote for cloture. Yes, the most prominent lefties are nos. But it's striking how many early-tenure Democratic senators — especially those from states Trump carried in 2024 — have lined up in opposition to the CR across a wide spectrum of views.
Consider this: In the hours after Schumer told his colleagues his position on the CR, Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) all reiterated their opposition to the CR. Add to that mix a few freshmen from bluer states, like Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), and you start to see a breakdown that is perhaps less ideological than generational. These younger, newer members view the world differently, Senate insiders told Playbook last night.
2. The House Dem reaction. One of the most surprising developments of the last 12 hours is that late last night, House Democratic leadership — repeat: not backbenchers — felt compelled to release a fiery statement that does not give Senate Dems who support the CR much of any room for cover.
From the statement: 'The far-right Republican funding bill will unleash havoc on everyday Americans, giving Donald Trump and Elon Musk even more power to continue dismantling the federal government,' read the joint release from Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar. 'House Democrats will not be complicit.'
Thought bubble: When was the last time that fellow Brooklynites Jeffries and Schumer seemed on such different pages in such a public manner?
And the caucus seems unified: 'Virtually every swing district House Dem walked the plank to vote NO for a reason,' Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) noted last night. The gentlewoman from Queens was at a House Dem retreat in Virginia, where some members were 'so infuriated with Schumer's decision that some have begun encouraging her to run against Schumer in a primary, according to a Democratic member who directly spoke with Ocasio-Cortez about running,' CNN's Sarah Ferris reports. 'The member said that Democrats in Leesburg were 'so mad' that even centrist Democrats were 'ready to write checks for AOC for Senate,' adding that they have 'never seen people so mad.''
3. If not fight now, then when? On some level, this is a debate about what an effective resistance looks like. 'In a political economy that requires attention and friction, we are passing up a huge opportunity to fight an unpopular president and his billionaire buddy,' posted Mike Casca, AOC's chief of staff. 'Fights define you. FDR knew this. Harry Reid knew this.'
But but but: Former Reid right hand Adam Jentleson sees it quite differently: 'Schumer is right. Dems are understandably spoiling for a fight but this was not it. … Fight — but pick smart fights.'
What would a 'smart' fight look like? The 'oppose the CR' argument is more or less as Casca laid it out. But there are, of course, other ways to see it. Matt Yglesias offers a different view: The House Dems' approach failed to bring Republicans to the negotiating table because they ruled out giving any votes to the CR. As a result, the party-line bill had to placate conservative Republicans, and as such, shifted 'public policy to the right somewhat.' Senate Dems were left with no cards, and keeping the government open is the less-bad option.
Or, as Senate Republicans see it: 'The Democrats have A or B: Keep the government open or yield the authority to the president,' Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), told my POLITICO colleagues Jennifer Scholtes and Megan Messerly.
That's the calculation Schumer made: 'Musk has already said he wants a shutdown, and public reporting has shown he is already making plans to expedite his destruction of key government programs and services,' Schumer said on the Senate floor last night. 'A shutdown would give Donald Trump the keys to the city, the state and the country.'
The question now: How many other Senate Dems are making the same calculation?
For your schedule: The Senate is in session and voting at 10:45 a.m. to advance Stephen Feinberg's nomination as deputy Defense secretary. The Senate then plans to vote at 1:15 p.m. on Feinberg's confirmation, the HALT Fentanyl Act and then the CR.
THE MAGA REVOLUTION
TRUMP HEADS TO JUSTICE: Trump is due at the Justice Department today around 3 p.m., where he is expected to lay out his vision for the agency amid ongoing concerns that he has compromised DOJ's traditional arms-length relationship with the White House, POLITICO's Myah Ward and Josh Gerstein write.
The precedent: Though the visit is not unprecedented, they write, 'it is highly unusual for a president to visit the Justice Department in person. Trump had repeatedly criticized the department during his campaign, calling prosecutions against him and his associates partisan, while vowing retribution.' The last known public in-person appearance by a president at DOJ came a decade ago, when President Barack Obama visited to pay tribute to Attorney General Eric Holder on his last day.
What he'll say: 'It's going to be their vision, really, but it's my ideas,' Trump told reporters yesterday, referring to AG Pam Bondi, deputy AG Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel and deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino. 'Basically, we don't want to have crime in the streets … we want to have justice, and we want safety in our cities, as well as our communities. We'll be talking about immigration. We'll be talking about a lot of things. It's a complete gamut.'
Mood music: Trump has 'quietly directed the FBI to halt the background check process for dozens of President Donald Trump's top staffers, and has transferred the process to the Pentagon,' ABC's Katherine Faulders and Luis Martinez reports. 'The directive came last month after agents tasked with completing the background investigations had conducted interviews with a handful of top White House aides — a standard part of the background check process. White House officials took the unusual step of ordering a stop to the background check investigations after they deemed the process too intrusive, sources said.'
IN THE DOGE HOUSE: Elon Musk is facing a series of losses in the courts as he tries to carry out his vast reshaping of the federal government.
Back to work: In a sweeping decision yesterday, a second federal judge ordered the mass reinstatement of fired federal workers, reversing the Trump administration's terminations of probationary employees at 18 major agencies, POLITICO's Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report. The agencies covered by the order include the USDA, Commerce, Education, Energy, HHS, DHS, Labor, State, Transportation and Treasury, among others. It is even more broad than a ruling earlier in the day from a different federal judge, who directed six Cabinet departments to immediately rehire probationary employees.
Discovery network: Musk and his team have been ordered by a federal judge in D.C. to 'hand over documents and answer questions about its role in directing mass firings and dismantling government programs,' NYT's Zach Montague writes. The judge ruled that the case brought by 14 Democratic state attorneys general 'had demonstrated a clear need to shed light on the inner workings of Mr. Musk's team,' marking the 'first time a judge has ordered Mr. Musk's division be subject to discovery.'
Musk on the move: Musk dropped by the NSA HQ on Wednesday, his first visit to the agency that he has called for an overhaul to, focusing on 'staff reductions and operations, officials said, with one describing it as a 'positive' conversation,' WSJ's Alexander Ward, Dustin Volz and Brett Forrest report.
You've got mail: Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said in a letter to lawmakers that he had reached an agreement with DOGE to allow for help in 'identifying and achieving further efficiencies' at USPS, NYT's Tim Balk reports. DeJoy said the workforce 'had shrunk by 30,000 since the 2021 fiscal year, and that the agency planned to complete a 'further reduction of another 10,000 people in the next 30 days' through a previously established voluntary-retirement program.'
New DOGE, old tricks: Musk's DOGE team has significantly changed how it's posting the cuts that it makes, making it nearly impossible for the public to fact-check the actions that it is taking, NYT's David Fahrenthold and Jeremy Singer-Vine report. 'The New York Times, at first, found a way around the group's obfuscation. That is because Mr. Musk's group had briefly embedded the federal identification numbers of these grants in the publicly available source code. … Mr. Musk's group later removed those identifiers from the code, and posted more batches of claims that could not be verified at all.'
EMERGENCY ACTION: Trump is making an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court requesting to eliminate a key tool that lower courts have used to block various aspects of his agenda. The ask is for the justices to rein in or shelve three nationwide injunctions lower-court judges have issued against Trump's bid to end birthright citizenship. 'But his request could have repercussions far beyond the debate over the controversial citizenship plan,' POLITICO's Josh Gerstein writes. 'Judges have used nationwide injunctions to hobble many of Trump's early moves, from his bid to end 'Diversity, Equity and Inclusion' programs to his cuts to federal medical research.'
ONE TO WATCH TODAY: Mehmet Oz, Trump's pick to lead CMS, is set to appear before the Senate Finance Committee shortly after 10 a.m. for a confirmation hearing. Among the topics that you can expect to hear Democrats drill into are allegations that Oz may have significantly underpaid his Medicare and Social Security taxes from 2021 to 2023, POLITICO's Robert King scooped.
THE TRADE WAR
THE MARKET MESS: The S&P 500, the 'world's most widely followed stock-market benchmark slid into a correction on Thursday, a drop that underscores how the two-year-long bull market is running out of steam in the early days of the Trump administration' amid the president's tariff war and dramatic reshaping of the federal government, NYT's Joe Rennison and Danielle Kaye write.
The details: 'On Thursday, the S&P 500 fell 1.4 percent. After weeks of selling, the index is now down 10.1 percent from a peak that it reached less than one month ago and is in a correction — a Wall Street term for when an index falls 10 percent or more from its peak, and a line in the sand for investors worried about a sell-off gathering steam.' Another sign of volatility? Gold prices are reaching record highs, per WSJ.
Shrug it off: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent brushed off the short-term market volatility yesterday, telling CNBC that the administration is more focused on long-term economic gains. 'We're focused on the real economy — can we create an environment where there are long-term gains in the market and long-term gains for the American people,' Bessent said, adding that he's 'not concerned about a little bit of volatility over 3 weeks.' More from POLITICO's Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing
THE TARIFF WARS TICK ON: Keep an eye on Canada today, with new PM Mark Carney set to be sworn around 11 a.m. While it's unclear if Carney will hold an official media availability following his ceremony, the biggest question looming over the new government is how it will measure up with Trump's White House. Who Carney picks as his deputies will also be a good indicator of who he trusts to handle the ongoing negotiations with Trump and his own emissaries.
The view from this side of the border: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick went on Fox News to slap Canada on the wrist a bit, saying: 'Why are we doing all this business in Canada if they're not respectful and thankful?' … which sounds a bit like the treatment Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy got in the Oval Office.
THE MIDWEST MESSAGING WARS: As the Trump administration tries to shore up support for its trade policies in major manufacturing states like Michigan, VP JD Vance will be dispatched to the Great Lakes State for a tour of a plastics manufacturer today to highlight what they say is an 'industrial resurgence,' POLITICO's Daniel Desrochers reports.
Dems' dilemma: Daniel writes that Trump's 'slash-and-burn approach to trade policy has given Democrats an opening,' but the party just can't seem to figure out how to use it. And it's in the Midwest where Dems' conflicted response is most evident. 'Democrats from states like Michigan and Pennsylvania are trying to thread the needle by condemning Trump's erratic policy pronouncements and attacks on allies like Canada, while not criticizing tariffs or protectionist policies.'
Put in a pickle: Trump's ambassadors-to-be for Canada, Mexico and Japan are also in a bit of a jam. The trio appeared on the Hill for a confirmation hearing yesterday, underscoring the tricky spot that their boss has put each in as he's 'infuriated officials from those countries' with tariffs, 'along with his withering criticism of America's key trade and security partners,' WaPo's Abigail Hauslohner writes. For the record: Pete Hoekstra, tapped to be ambassador to Canada, reaffirmed that our northern neighbor is a 'sovereign state.'
BEST OF THE REST
THE NEW WORLD ORDER: POLITICO's Eli Stokols and Paul McLeary have a good bite-sized summary of how the Trump administration's negotiations to end the war in Ukraine are going: 'Volodymyr Zelenskyy got sticks from President Donald Trump. Vladimir Putin is still getting carrots,' they write. 'Trump and his aides insist that the different approaches to Zelenskyy and Putin are aimed at getting both sides to the negotiating table and cementing a lasting peace.'
How it's playing: Over on the Hill, GOP Russia hawks lambasted Putin for not accepting the terms of a ceasefire deal with Ukraine yesterday, following the Trump administration's lead as it seeks to pressure the Kremlin into a deal, POLITICO's Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing writes.
2028 SNIPING: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear had some sharp criticism for his fellow potential presidential contender Gavin Newsom, telling Democrats at a policy retreat that the California governor's new podcast is raising more concern than interesting dialogue. 'Newsom bringing on different voices is great, we shouldn't be afraid to talk and to debate just about anyone,' Beshear said, per POLITICO's Seb Starcevic and Mia McCarthy. 'But Steve Bannon espouses hatred and anger, and even at some points violence, and I don't think we should give him oxygen on any platform, ever, anywhere.'
THE WEEKEND AHEAD
TV TONIGHT — PBS' 'Washington Week': Laura Barrón-López, Stephen Hayes and David Sanger.
SUNDAY SO FAR …
ABC 'This Week': National security adviser Mike Waltz … Diane Swonk … Ashish Jha. Panel: Donna Brazile, Reince Priebus, Marianna Sotomayor and Jonathan Martin.
FOX 'Fox News Sunday,' guest-hosted by Jacqui Heinrich: National security adviser Mike Waltz … Canadian Ambassador Kirsten Hillman … Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio). Panel: Olivia Beavers, Matt Gorman, Mario Parker and Sabrina Singh. Sunday special: Benjamin Hall.
CBS 'Face the Nation': Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick … Maryland Gov. Wes Moore … Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
NBC 'Meet the Press': Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent … Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) … Steve Kornacki. Panel: Cornell Belcher, Eugene Daniels, Sara Fagen and Anna Palmer.
Fox News 'Sunday Morning Futures': Karoline Leavitt … Peter Navarro … Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) … Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) … Miranda Devine.
NewsNation 'The Hill Sunday': VA Secretary Doug Collins … Robert Shibley. Panel: Mollie Ball, Julie Mason, Jasmine Wright and Merrill Matthews.
MSNBC 'The Weekend': Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) … Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) … Becky Pringle.
TALK OF THE TOWN
Vanessa Trump, the ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr., has been quietly dating Tiger Woods since Thanksgiving, according to the Daily Mail.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has turned around the fortunes of Steak 'n Shake following its turn to beef tallow.
QUITE THE SHOW: VP JD Vance received a less-than-warm welcome at the Kennedy Center yesterday. Vance's attendance, along with second lady Usha Vance, already delayed the performance by the National Symphony Orchestra by 30 minutes because attendees were subjected to higher security screenings upon entry. With the orchestra already onstage, people in the crowd noticed the Vances taking their seats in the balcony and 'erupted into loud boos and shouts for more than 30 seconds,' per WaPo. The occasion for the orchestra? A performance of two Russian composers: Shostakovich's 'Violin Concerto No. 2' and Stravinsky's 'Petrushka.' Watch the video
IN MEMORIAM — 'Larry Buendorf, U.S. Agent Who Saved President Ford, Dies at 87,' by NYT's Sam Roberts: 'Larry Buendorf, the Secret Service agent who, by wresting a handgun away from Lynette (Squeaky) Fromme, was credited with saving the life of President Gerald R. Ford in an assassination attempt in 1975 in California, died on Sunday at his home in Colorado Springs. He was 87.'
OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at Alex Bruesewitz's 28th birthday at Butterworth's on Wednesday night: Kelly Loeffler, Brendan Carr, Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Mike Haridopolos (R-Fla.) and William Timmons (R-S.C.), Kari Lake, Alexandra Preate, Raheem Kassam, Jeff Clark, Maureen Bannon, Jack Posobiec, Kaelan Dorr, Alex Pfeiffer, Alina Habba, Margo Martin, Chamberlain Harris and Carolina Urrea.
— SPOTTED at Qualcomm's 40th anniversary celebration at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, where CEO Cristiano Amon and Qualcomm Technology Licensing President Alex Rogers gave remarks: Nate Tibbetts, Izzy Santa, Katie Patala, Andrei Iancu, John Bozzella, Mike Flynn, Laura Chace, Jake Colvin, John Neuffer, Katie Kerrigan, Patrick Halley, Matthew Eggers, Cole Bornefeld, Mitchell Shea, Sloan Shelbourne, Charles Cogar, Sloan Shelbourne and JC Lintzenich.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Jonathan Cohn is joining The Bulwark to cover the remaking of the government led by Trump and Musk and will helm a twice-weekly newsletter called 'Explainer.' He previously was a senior national correspondent at HuffPost and is a New Republic alum.
TRANSITIONS — Craig Wheeler is now comms director for Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.). He previously was comms director for Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) and is a Jaime Herrera Beutler alum. … Carrie Schroll is joining Fenwick as counsel in its Washington, D.C. office. She previously was special counsel at Kelley Drye & Warren. … Justin Folsom is joining Southern Company's D.C. office as director of government affairs. He most recently was legislative director for Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.).
WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Adam Sharp, president and CEO of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (aka The Emmys) and a C-SPAN, Mary Landrieu and NBC News alum, and Cindy Sharp, a former producer at the AP, on Saturday welcomed Owen Roger Sharp, who came in at 7 lbs, 4 oz and 20.5 inches. He joins big sister Elsa.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) … Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon … State's Jimmy Loomis … Bill McGinley of the Vogel Group … Christine Emba … Faith McPherson of National Public Affairs … Cicero's Rory (Brosius) Martin … Andrea Bozek of Big Dog Strategies … AEI's Kevin Kosar … Deb Jospin … T.A. Hawks of Monument Advocacy … Lily Adams … Eric Reath of Rep. Lloyd Smucker's (R-Pa.) office … Kei Helm … Kelsey Cooper of Sen. Rand Paul's (R-Ky.) office … Moderna's John Lepore … Georgetown's Lauren Mullins … Virginia Dem Chair Susan Swecker … former Rep. Bill Jefferson (D-La.) … Rick Grafmeyer … Kathy Wright … John Connolly of Council for a Strong America … Margita Thompson … Ashley Simmons … David Sadava … Erika Gulija of New Heights Communications … Amy Travieso Loveng … Axios' Andrew Solender … POLITICO's Campbell Rawlins … Joshua Walker
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