What Biden wants from Congress on Israel

Presented by the Clean Hydrogen Future Coalition (CHFC): The power players, latest policy developments, and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing.

Oct 11, 2023 View in browser   By Myah Ward, Adam Cancryn, Lauren Egan and Lawrence Ukenye Presented by the Clean Hydrogen Future Coalition (CHFC) Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from producer Ben Johansen Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Lauren| Email Myah| Email Lawrence As the Biden administration moves swiftly to respond to the violence in Israel over the weekend, one question remains largely unclear: What will it ask from Congress in terms of aid? After an all-House briefing with administration officials today, lawmakers walked out with a few different reads on what the White House plans to include in the supplemental request expected as early as next week. One Hill aide said the “White House will be requesting Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and migration [border] funding in one package.” And a lawmaker in the room said it was brought up but not discussed in detail. But others left Wednesday's briefing with VICTORIA NULAND, acting deputy secretary of State, SASHA BAKER, acting under secretary of Defense for policy, and senior U.S. intelligence official MORGAN MUIR under the impression that the White House was not offering a definitive suggestion. As interpreted by another Hill office: it was a means for floating the option of including all four and gauging the response. They did get at least one reaction to the idea, according to the lawmaker. A reference to tying the four issues together “elicited boos from Republicans.” The murmurs — and widespread confusion — about the next steps come just a day after President JOE BIDEN said his team would ask Congress to fund “national security requirements” not only in Israel but for “our critical partners.” His national security adviser, JAKE SULLIVAN, on Tuesday also said the Office of Management and Budget was drafting the supplemental request. “What exact form that all takes, that will be worked out,” Sullivan said. During Wednesday’s briefing on Capitol Hill, administration officials didn’t offer a topline number or any specifics. “We are talking with Congress about the best path forward,” one administration official said. “No decision has been made.” But soon, one will have to be. At an event this afternoon with Jewish community leaders, Biden spoke about the numerous ways in which the U.S. was extending support: surging additional military assistance to the Israel Defense Forces, sending a carrier fleet and fighter jets to the eastern Mediterranean Sea, and shipping over supplies to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome. Biden also made clear to Iranians they should be, in his words, “careful.” At times visibly emotional and admittedly hoarse from talking on the phone, Biden also noted the sheer complications that have presented themselves in the past few days. He said he found the reaction in certain quarters (primarily academia) to blame Israel “unconscionable.” And he noted the efforts underway for hostage rescue. “If I told you, I wouldn’t be able to get them home,” he said. “Folks, there is a lot we are doing, a lot. I have not given up hope of bringing these folks home. But the idea that I'm going to stand here before you and tell you what I'm doing is bizarre.” There was no explicit ask for Congress to move swiftly. Rather, the event was cloaked in sobriety and seriousness that underscored the expectation that lawmakers would step up with funding. Whether it will be just for Israel or for Ukraine and, perhaps, Taiwan too is less clear. MESSAGE US — Are you STACEY GRIGSBY, deputy counsel to the president? 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!    GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here.     POTUS PUZZLER Thanks to the White House Historical Association for this question! Which president worked in his father’s leather store in Galena, Ill.? (Answer at bottom.) The Oval THAT SOMBER WHITE HOUSE MEETING: Second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF, the first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president, introduced Biden at that roundtable event with Jewish community leaders. Emhoff said he knew many in the group had been texting and calling loved ones in Israel over the weekend to make sure they were safe. He shared their concern that Hamas’ brutal attack could lead to a spike in antisemitism at home. “Like all Jews, I feel a deep, visceral connection to Israel and its people. We witnessed a mass murder of innocent civilians,” Emhoff said. “There are no two sides to this issue.” But the more emotional part may have come later, when Biden recounted that he had taken each of his kids and grandchildren when they turned 14 to the Dachau concentration camp. “I wanted them to see,” he said, slamming his fist into the lectern. “It had a profound impact on my children and my grandchildren.” Subsequently, a reader sent over this story and image of Biden at the camp in 2015. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO WATCH: Wednesday’s appearance by NYT columnist THOMAS FRIEDMAN on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” praising Biden for the speech he gave on Tuesday in support of Israel and crediting the president for putting “the Western alliance together” in defense of Ukraine and Israel. “How ‘bout Joe Biden? These knuckleheads on Fox everyday say, ‘This 80-year-old guy can’t put two sentences together,’” Friedman said. “No one had to write that speech for him. I can't think of a single Democrat let alone a Republican who could give that speech, that way, at this time.” Principal deputy press secretary OLIVIA DALTON and deputy communications director HERBIE ZISKEND shared the clip on X. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by NBC News’ CHUCK TODD about how Democrats in Washington are skeptical the electorate can be convinced to vote for Biden in 2024 amid troubling polling and concerns about his age. Todd writes Democrats rallied around Biden in 2020 because they believed he was the party’s best bet to defeat Trump, but notes the president could generate renewed excitement by facing a primary opponent. Our JONATHAN MARTIN also wrote that some Democrats believe the president could benefit from a primary challenger as some members of Congress running for reelection “invariably hear about voters’ alarm about Biden when at home,” Jonathan writes. CLOCK IS TICKING: The monthslong feud between the Democratic National Committee and New Hampshire Democrats over whether the state party will ignore the new primary calendar that puts South Carolina first could soon be coming to a head, The Boston Globe's LISSANDRA VILLA DE PETRZELKA reports. It’s unclear if Biden will file to appear on the New Hampshire ballot if the state ultimately goes through with an unsanctioned primary, meaning that another Democrat, like MARIANNE WILLIAMSON, could win (although voters would still have the option to write-in Biden). Petrzelka writes that the Biden campaign did not respond when asked whether he would file by the Oct. 27 deadline.   A message from the Clean Hydrogen Future Coalition (CHFC): Hourly matching and additionality could stop the stable supply of clean hydrogen. Industry and long-haul trucking need the clean fuel to be reliable to make the switch and cut millions of tons of CO2. It’s time to say no to hourly matching and additionality.   THE BUREAUCRATS SEEMS A BIT EARLY FOR THAT: White House officials were in Ashe County, N.C., on Monday to select a Christmas tree for the White House Blue Room, WUNC’s SHARRYSE PIGGOTT reports. This year’s tree comes from Cline Church Nursery, which is owned by Amber Scott. The White House staff were there to pick out “the one,” Scott said. The tree had to “meet some specifications, such as it has to be at least 18-and-a-half feet tall, and it needs to be viewable from 360 degrees because it'll be seen from every angle in the Blue Room.” A NEWLY MINTED, TOP BIDEN SURROGATE: MAYRA MACÍAS has been named executive director of Building Back Together, the organization announced Wednesday in a statement. She previously served as interim executive director and chief strategy officer for the Biden-aligned group. PERSONNEL MOVES: NAOMI GONZÁLEZ is now the director for aviation and surface transportation for the National Security Council. She most recently was regional bureau chief for the Western hemisphere for international operations at the Transportation Security Administration.   A message from the Clean Hydrogen Future Coalition (CHFC):   Agenda Setting COMING BACK TO BITE: Biden’s ill-behaved German shepherd COMMANDER might no longer be on the White House campus, but he’s still causing problems for the president. On Wednesday morning, Rep. VIRGINIA FOXX (R-N.C.), chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, sent a letter to Biden and acting Labor Secretary JULIE SU requesting details of workplace safety complaints involving Commander that have been filed since Biden took office. In an interview with our KELLY GARRITY, Foxx said she wanted to remind the White House that it is “not immune to the laws of the land.” “If 10 people had accidents in a private plant, or if there had been dog bites in a private plant, I’ll guarantee you OSHA would have been down on the heads of the owners and operators of that plant,” she added. THE PUSH TO BLAME IRAN: Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN said the Biden administration “wouldn’t take anything off the table” in relation to unveiling new sanctions against Iran following violence erupting in the Middle East, Bloomberg’s CHRISTOPHER CONDON reports. Yellen’s comments come as senior administration officials, including Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN, National Security Council spokesperson JOHN KIRBY and national security adviser Jake Sullivan, took to the airwaves this week to defend a prisoner exchange that provided Iran with access to $6 billion in frozen assets, our ERIC BAZAIL-EIMIL and RENEE KLAHR reported.   DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO APP: Stay in the know with the POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS – DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID.     What We're Reading Sen. Mitt Romney urged Democratic senators to challenge Biden — and he named names (Deseret News’ Suzanne Bates) Vulnerable Democrats call on Biden to freeze $6B in Iran funds (Axios’ Zachary Basu) Who Runs the Best U.S. Schools? It May Be the Defense Department. (NYT’s Sarah Mervosh) POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER Before being elected president, ULYSSES S. GRANT worked in his father’s leather store in Galena, Ill., during the onset of the Civil War, according to the White House Historical Association. To learn more about the life and legacy of President Grant, tune into History Happy Hour: President Grant at 200 on Oct. 12 at 6:00 p.m. EST. 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.   A message from the Clean Hydrogen Future Coalition (CHFC): This is the moment to add tens of thousands of jobs to the US economy and jump start a new industry. Don’t let it pass America by. See why it’s not the right time for hourly matching and additionality.     Follow us on Twitter Lauren Egan @Lauren_V_Egan Myah Ward @MyahWard Lawrence Ukenye @Lawrence_Ukenye   Follow us

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