Guns. Still on Biden’s radar.

The power players, latest policy developments, and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing.

Oct 24, 2023 View in browser   By Myah Ward, Lauren Egan and Lawrence Ukenye Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from Benjamin Johansen and producer Raymond Rapada. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Eli | Email Lauren The new White House gun safety office has its hands full. On Tuesday, leaders from the month-old Office of Gun Violence Prevention met with a group of state leaders right after the first-ever Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association gun violence prevention summit. The group gathered in a room on the first floor of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building to tackle implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, gaps in the federal gun violence response, new executive actions and ways to improve services for survivors and victims. “The one thing that stood out was [the White House] looking for more ideas on executive actions they can take, because it sends a message that they want to do more,” said AUSTIN DAVIS, the 34-year-old lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania. “And they’re looking to expand partnerships with state and local governments, so they really encouraged us to consider creating offices of gun violence prevention within the states to help feed the work that they’re doing.” The meeting came just a week after new CDC data showed gun homicides declined in 2022 — but with gun deaths remaining the leading cause of death for kids, at epidemic-era levels. The issue has continued to galvanize Democrats who are searching for ways to make more progress with legislative avenues effectively closed, and President JOE BIDEN having nearly exhausted his moves from the executive branch. The question confronting gun safety advocates is whether the office can be something more than merely ceremonial: a classic D.C. effort to placate activists without getting much substance done. Progress, it appears, will come at the margins. State leaders on Tuesday discussed Department of Justice resources for community safety funds. The group talked openly about concerns and the need to ensure the funding is equitable from state to state. At the White House, focus has narrowed to matters of implementation, coordinating the delivery of federal resources at the state level, and working with state and local leaders to push the agenda forward and find new ideas for executive actions. Since Biden announced the Office of Gun Violence Prevention last month, the team has held several meetings with state officials, advocates and community leaders in the gun violence space. They’ve met with over 500 law enforcement officials, trauma surgeons and education leaders, as well as over 3,000 community leaders, advocates, state and local leaders, according to White House spokesperson JEREMY M. EDWARDS. The office also worked across agencies to expedite Bipartisan Safer Communities Act implementation and supported state and local policy changes over the last month. But meetings and mapping out next steps seem to be a primary task right now. After today’s gun violence prevention summit, a group of the lieutenant governors headed over to Pennsylvania Avenue for another meeting with the White House gun office’s staff, director STEFANIE FELDMAN and deputy directors ROB WILCOX and GREGORY JACKSON. TOM PEREZ, director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, also attended. Vice President KAMALA HARRIS, who Biden tapped to lead the office last month, wasn’t at today’s gathering but has met with Feldman several times before and after the office was announced in September, according to another White House official. Members of her domestic policy team have been in touch with the office daily. But it’s not just all talk. There is an eye, as well, on trying to use states and municipalities as laboratories for future progress. White House officials were particularly interested in Pennsylvania’s universal background check legislation, and Feldman’s team already has another meeting on the schedule for tomorrow to discuss the state’s law further. “Oftentimes, at the state level, we’re all in our individual silos, and we’re all kind of head down doing the work with our respective territories,” Davis said. “This office will have a national lens to look at gun violence prevention from a national perspective, and really be able to see the hotspots and help make connections for local and state governments on the ground that are doing the work.” MESSAGE US — Are you SHEILA ANGELO, White House travel manager? We want to hear from you. And we’ll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com. Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe here!    PLAYBOOK IS GOING GLOBAL! We’re excited to introduce Global Playbook, POLITICO’s premier newsletter that brings you inside the most important conversations at the most influential events in the world. From the buzzy echoes emanating from the snowy peaks at the WEF in Davos to the discussions and personalities at Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to the heart of diplomacy at UNGA in New York City – author Suzanne Lynch brings it all to your fingertips. Experience the elite. Witness the influential. And never miss a global beat. BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION. SUBSCRIBE NOW.     POTUS PUZZLER Thanks to the White House Historical Association for this question! Which first daughter was the first to hold her wedding in the White House? (Answer at bottom.) The Oval SUPPLEMENTAL INCOMING: The White House on Wednesday is expected to seek roughly $50 billion for a handful of urgent domestic priorities, three people familiar with the planning tell our ADAM CANCRYN. The supplemental funding package will include money for child care, natural disaster aid, high-speed internet access and wildland firefighter pay, though the people familiar with the plans cautioned that the timing and scope of the package could still change. The request comes a week after the White House submitted a $106 billion aid package focused on funding for Ukraine and Israel, as well as humanitarian assistance in Gaza and U.S.-Mexico border security. But the administration maintains that it’s also critical that Congress bolster key programs at home, including allocating billions of dollars to avert a wave of child care facility closures and head off the prospect of deep pay cuts for firefighters. The White House declined to comment on the specifics and timing of the supplemental request. WALKING IT BACK: Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE backtracked on comments she made Monday, when she told reporters the White House had not seen any “credible threats” about the rise in antisemitism since the Israel and Hamas war. “I did mishear the question,” Jean-Pierre said in a statement to POLITICO. “I have blasted the repulsive increase in antisemitic rhetoric, conspiracy theories, and hate crimes in our nation, calling out that, tragically, this is a rising threat.” She then began today’s briefing by denouncing antisemitism after her comments triggered backlash on social media, including from Democrats like Rep. JARED MOSKOWITZ (D-Fla.), who called her response a "weak answer." SHAKING THE MONEY TREE: Biden will travel to Minneapolis on Wednesday, Nov. 1 to headline a campaign fundraiser, our DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned. The trip will come just after Minnesota Rep. DEAN PHILLIPS is expected to launch his primary challenge to Biden. The Biden Victory Fund will also host a dinner with HILLARY CLINTON at her Washington, D.C., home on Nov. 27. Tickets for both events are going as high as $50,000. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: Latino-owned businesses have received a record number of federally-backed loans, Axios’ RUSSELL CONTRERAS reports. According to the Small Business Administration, loans to Latino businesses have doubled during the past two years, totaling $3 billion. “Our country is experiencing a small business boom driven significantly by the entrepreneurial spirit, drive, and resilience of the Latino community," SBA administrator ISABEL GUZMAN said in a statement. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by WSJ’s LINDSAY WISE about the demands Senate Republicans want for Biden's $106 billion emergency funding request for Israel, Ukraine and border security. While there is generally bipartisan support for providing aid to Israel, GOP lawmakers are divided on sending billions to Ukraine, with some preferring funds be spent on weapons rather than humanitarian assistance. “Everyone in Washington knows that tying aid for Ukraine and Israel together will only delay what’s urgently needed in Israel’s fight against Hamas,” Sen. RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.) posted on X. ALAS, NO ROCK LOBSTER … BUT THEY’RE FREE TO ROAM: The B-52s will no longer perform at Wednesday night’s state dinner in honor of the Australian prime minister, first lady JILL BIDEN announced during a media preview event Tuesday. Given the recent world events, the first lady said the White House chose instead to go with performances from the Marine Band and the Army and Air Force Strolling Strings. The B-52s will still attend the dinner, but just as guests. “Nurturing our partnerships and relationships with our allies is critically important, especially in these tumultuous times,” the first lady said. “We are now in a time when so many are facing sorrow and pain, so we made a few adjustments to the entertainment portion of the evening.” THE BUREAUCRATS A SOBERING POSSIBILITY: National security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN penned a 7,000-word essay in Foreign Affairs detailing how the violence in the Middle East could spiral into a regional conflict. “While military force must never be a tool of first resort, we stand ready and prepared to use it when necessary to protect U.S. personnel and interests in this important region,” he writes. Sullivan also predicts that the U.S. could be forced to engage more frequently with countries that don’t share its values in an effort to stay ahead amid growing global competition. PERSONNEL MOVES: ILSE ZUNIGA, the senior adviser for public health communications at the Department of Health and Human Services, is leaving the administration to join AARP as its director of media relations. — THOREN PEREGO is now special assistant to the deputy chief of staff for strategy, policy and strategic engagement at the EPA. He most recently was special assistant to the executive secretariat at the EPA. Agenda Setting THAT STRIKE THAT DOMINATED THE NEWS LAST MONTH. IT’S STILL HAPPENING: United Auto Workers expanded its strike Tuesday for the second time in two days to now include a General Motors plant in Texas that employs 5,000 workers, our OLIVIA OLANDER reports for Pro subscribers. The White House plans to continue monitoring the growing strike — which has resulted in layoffs for workers in Michigan and Ohio. “The president continues to believe that collective bargaining is incredibly important,” Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. INSERT MASK EMOJI: The Biden administration’s campaign to convince Americans to get an annual Covid shot is off to a slow start, our CHELSEA CIRRUZZO reports. CDC Director MANDY COHEN said in an interview that only 12 million people, or about 3.6 percent of the population, have gotten the shot — far fewer than the 128 million who have received their annual flu vaccine. But Cohen also said the U.S. was on track to mirror last year’s uptake, when 17 percent of the population got the vaccine. TRANSATLANTIC TROUBLES: EU officials have raised concerns about the Biden administration’s restrictions on outbound investments aimed at China over fears its policies could harm Europe, Bloomberg’s ALBERTO NARDELLI and JORGE VALERO report. The restrictions target Chinese companies that work in semiconductors and quantum computing but could apply to Americans anywhere in the world. Concerns about the rules come as the U.S. and EU failed to reach an agreement on steel and critical minerals. What We're Reading The Hard Truth About Immigration (The Atlantic’s David Leonhardt) Coming of Age in Ukraine (NYT’s Laetitia Vancon, Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Laetitia Vancon) Bernie Sanders opposes Biden’s pick to lead the NIH, putting her confirmation in jeopardy (POLITICO's Erin Schumaker, David Lim And Ben Leonard) The Oppo Book White House senior policy adviser HANNAH SAFFORD was an épée fencer for Princeton University on a team that won the 2013 NCAA national championship. She was also named first team Ivy League twice and went undefeated at several collegiate competitions. It takes a uniquely skilled person to dominate such a unique sport! POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER MARIA HESTER MONROE, daughter of President JAMES MONROE, was the first daughter of a president to hold her wedding inside the White House when she took her vows on March 9, 1820, according to the White House Historical Association. To learn more about the weddings of first daughters, check out Something Old, Something New: Eight First Daughters’ Fashionable White House Weddings. A CALL OUT! Do you think you have a harder trivia question? Send us your best one about the presidents, with a citation or sourcing, and we may feature it! Edited by Eun Kyung Kim and Sam Stein.   JOIN 10/25 FOR A TALK ON THE FUTURE OF GRID RELIABILITY: The EPA’s proposed standards for coal and new natural gas fired power plants have implications for the future of the electric grid. These rules may lead to changes in the power generation mix—shifting to more renewable sources in favor of fossil-fuel plants. Join POLITICO on Oct. 25 for a deep-dive conversation on what it will take to ensure a reliable electric grid for the future. REGISTER NOW.       Follow us on Twitter Lauren Egan @Lauren_V_Egan Myah Ward @MyahWard Lawrence Ukenye @Lawrence_Ukenye   Follow us

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