The Biden White House is deploying top officials to get a broad ideological spectrum of lawmakers, governors and mayors on board with the president’s $ 1.9 trillion COVID aid proposal, according to people familiar with the matter.
Why does it matter: The large, choreographed effort shows how essential Biden considers the stimulus to the nation’s recovery and its own political success.
News management: Brian Deese, director of the National Economic Council, and Jeff Zients, Biden’s COVID tsar, have scheduled a meeting Wednesday with the centrist coalition for new Democrats.
- Over the weekend, Deese’s meeting with 16 senators drew attention, but in reality, there are dozens of calls every day as the White House works to build the first coalition of Biden’s presidency.
How it works: General information to members of Congress and staff is coordinated by Biden Councilor Steve Ricchetti and Legislative Affairs Director Louisa Terrell.
- President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain and Chief Adviser Anita Dunn made individual appeals to lawmakers this week.
- Zients spoke with leaders of both parties and other officials on Tuesday, briefing tribal leaders and mayors.
- Cedric Richmond, who heads the White House Office of Public Engagement, contacted civil rights groups on Tuesday, including the NAACP, the Urban League, the Coalition for Black Civic Participation and the Black Women’s Roundtable.
What are they saying: “President Biden and the White House are holding a full press conference to hire leaders and stakeholders in Washington,” said Mike Gwin, deputy White House press secretary.
The whole picture: Biden said he prefers a bipartisan approach to getting his plan through Congress. But he did not rule out relying solely on democratic votes to pass his proposal through the budget reconciliation process, which requires a simple majority in the Senate.
- Some progressives, such as Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Argue that Biden should now walk the path of reconciliation and not waste time seeking 60 votes.
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) said yesterday that “we keep all our options on the table open, including budget reconciliation.”