A nightmare for some Dreamers

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

Nov 28, 2023 View in browser   By Myah Ward, Lauren Egan and Benjamin Johansen Presented by Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from producer Raymond Rapada. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Eli | Email Lauren MIRYAM MATUTE, a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient, has been without health insurance for two years. It’s a form of existence she described as being in “a black hole.” “I wake up every day and I think, ‘Oh my gosh, does this mean something bad? Is this headache something more?’” said Matute, who’s lived in the United States since she was 3 years old. “And it’s kind of awful to live like that every single day — not knowing when I can maybe go to the doctor, if I can even afford it.” Last April, Matute was given a sliver of hope when President JOE BIDEN unveiled a proposal to give health insurance to eligible DACA recipients under the Affordable Care Act. The administration said, at the time, that it expected the health care expansion to take effect by Nov. 1. But Nov. 1 came and went, and Matute remains uninsured, for no other apparent reason other than that the Biden administration has been slow to move forward. She is among the estimated 129,000 people who stand to benefit from the Biden administration’s proposal. “That would be life changing not just for myself, but for my family,” said Matute, who will begin medical school next fall. “The impact that it would have, giving me that peace of mind, knowing that my health is OK. And I can take care of my family. That means everything.” The delay in extending health insurance coverage to eligible DACA recipients has alarmed immigration policy advocates and Democrats in Congress who have been pressing the administration on the missed deadline. Sen. CORY BOOKER (D-N.J.) led lawmakers in a letter to the administration earlier this month, asking why the Department of Health and Human Services has yet to finalize the rule and what the administration was doing to ensure newly eligible people were aware of coverage options. HHS had said in April that it planned to enact the new policy by Nov. 1, the start of the 2024 ACA open enrollment period. But there has been little to no guidance since. “It’s been crickets,” said KICA MATOS, president of the National Immigration Law Center. The White House deferred to HHS for questions on the rulemaking process. An HHS spokesperson told West Wing Playbook that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has “received a variety of comments during the comment period and the policy remains under review.” Matos said she fears the delay will mean potentially eligible DACA recipients won’t benefit from the 2024 open enrollment period, which ends in January. “The timing made a lot of sense, especially since DACA recipients would have benefited from the advocacy and outreach around open enrollment,” Matos said. “Immigrant populations are often harder to reach.” Beyond the policy impact, the DACA rule change could also be viewed as a political win for Biden, advocates argue — a way for the president to show progress on a popular immigration issue going into 2024. “It really gives the administration an opportunity to advance the goal of greater health care for all and bolster its standing with key voter blocs,” Matos said. “Biden is losing ground with Latinos and other voting groups in the lead up to the 2024 elections. So this is both good policy and good politics.” MESSAGE US — JOY NGUGI, senior presidential producer? 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!    A message from bp: bp added more than $70 billion to the US economy last year. We did it by making investments from coast to coast – like almost doubling our capacity to produce biodiesel in Washington state and bringing a new platform online in the Gulf of Mexico. See how else bp is investing in America.   POTUS PUZZLER Which hobby of former President RICHARD NIXON helped launch his first run for political office in 1946? (Answer at bottom.) The Oval A LIFE SPECTACULARLY WELL-LIVED: President Biden, first lady JILL BIDEN, Vice President KAMALA HARRIS and second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF traveled to Atlanta on Tuesday to attend the memorial service of former first lady ROSALYNN CARTER, who died last week at the age of 96. With the addition of MICHELLE OBAMA, MELANIA TRUMP and HILLARY CLINTON, all four living former first ladies were in attendance, as well as former President BILL CLINTON. During his remarks, Carter’s grandson, JASON CARTER, welcomed the first ladies. “Thank you all for coming and acknowledging this remarkable sisterhood you share with my grandmother,” he said, before he quipped, “Secretary Clinton and Dr. Biden, we also welcome your lovely husbands.” WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: This piece by CNBC’s REBECCA PICCIOTTO about how Biden is targeting corporations for price gouging, even with inflation cooling. The president on Monday criticized corporations that have not brought their prices down despite lower inflation numbers. As Picciotto notes, this comes as the administration continues struggling to relay the president’s economic achievements to voters, who consistently give Biden poor marks on the economy. White House chief of staff JEFF ZIENTS, communications director BEN LABOLT, and deputy press secretary ANDREW BATES all shared the piece on X. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by SEAN TRENDE for RealClearPolitics, which analyzes the most recent presidential polling from RCP Average showing GOP frontrunner DONALD TRUMP leading Biden by 2.6 percent nationally. This is not only Trump’s largest lead in the RCP Average for the 2024 election, but the largest ever for the former president. In battleground states such as Pennsylvania and Michigan, Trump is leading the RCP Average for the first time ever. Although Trende astutely notes that a week is a lifetime in politics, he argues that Trump is now the 2024 favorite. “So let us set the record straight: Trump can win,” Trende writes. “Not in a ‘maybe if all the stars align and then Russia changes the vote totals’ kind of way. Just flat out: Trump can win.” FIRST IN WEST WING PLAYBOOK: Biden is headlining a campaign fundraiser with Pennsylvania Gov. JOSH SHAPIRO on Dec. 11 in Philadelphia, our DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned. Ticket prices range from $3,300 to $100,000. BIDEN’S GOT A FRIEND: On Tuesday, singer JAMES TAYLOR will perform at a benefit concert in Boston for Biden’s reelection campaign, Boston Globe’s MATT JUUL reports and our LISA KASHINSKY confirmed. A ticket for the event will set you back between $50 to $7,500, with VIP tickets including a group pic with the president. Biden’s visit comes less than a month after Vice President Harris traveled to Boston to fundraise for the Democratic National Committee.   SUBSCRIBE TO CALIFORNIA CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just about the weather. It's also about how we do business and create new policies, especially in California. So we have something cool for you: A brand-new California Climate newsletter. It's not just climate or science chat, it's your daily cheat sheet to understanding how the legislative landscape around climate change is shaking up industries across the Golden State. Subscribe now to California Climate to keep up with the changes.     THE BUREAUCRATS PERSONNEL MOVES: CAROLINA FERREROSA YOUNG is now chief economic adviser to Vice President Harris. She most recently was economic policy adviser for Sen. SHERROD BROWN (D-Ohio). — JOE CROCE is now government relations director at Peraton. He most recently was deputy assistant national cyber director for budget and assessment at the White House. — FELIPE AFANADOR is now special assistant for agriculture at the Environmental Protection Agency. He previously served as confidential assistant to the U.S. Department of Agriculture under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs.   A message from bp:   Agenda Setting CUE THE JAMES BOND THEME: CIA Director WILLIAM BURNS on Tuesday traveled to Qatar for an undisclosed meeting with Israel’s spy chief and the Qatari prime minister, according to WaPo’s JOHN HUDSON. Burns will push Hamas and Israel to broaden the focus of their hostage negotiations, including the release of men and military personnel in addition to women and children. He also will seek a longer pause in fighting, Hudson notes. But the main focus for Burns [dramatic pause] Bill Burns, will be securing the release of the remaining American hostages, which officials have listed as eight or nine. OFF TO A SLOW START: The $7.5 billion in funds Congress approved two years ago for the construction of tens of thousands of electric vehicle chargers has yet to produce a single one, our JAMES BIKALES reports for Pro subscribers. Fewer than half of U.S. states have even solicited bids from contractors, let alone started any construction. Local governments and the charger industry have blamed complex new contracting and performance requirements they have to navigate in order to receive the federal funds. “The sluggish rollout could undermine Biden’s EV-themed reelection messaging and increase the possibility a Republican in the White House could roll back the charging network efforts in 2025,” Bikales writes. What We're Reading Black Voters Are Drifting Away from Democrats. Will That Hurt Biden in SC? (POLITICO’s David Siders) Even Most Biden Voters Don’t See a Thriving Economy (NYT’s Lydia DePillis) Google’s China Policy (American Prospect’s Robert Kuttner)   GET A BACKSTAGE PASS TO COP28 WITH GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Get insider access to the conference that sets the tone of the global climate agenda with POLITICO's Global Playbook newsletter. Authored by Suzanne Lynch, Global Playbook delivers exclusive, daily insights and comprehensive coverage that will keep you informed about the most crucial climate summit of the year. Dive deep into the critical discussions and developments at COP28 from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12. SUBSCRIBE NOW.     The Oppo Book SOPHIA SOKOLOWSKI, newly appointed senior adviser to the office of intergovernmental affairs, has quite the stage presence. Not only is she a former TEDx speaker and podcast host, but back in the day, Sokolowski performed at Opera Tampa, under the guidance of its founding maestro, ANTON COPPOLA. We were quite impressed with her pipes in this rendition of the Etta James classic, “At Last.” Let’s hope that she and MITCH LANDRIEU will consider teaming up. POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER While stationed in the Solomon Islands during World War II, Nixon became quite the skillful poker player, so much so that when he returned to the United States following his deployment, he used the thousands of dollars in winnings to help bankroll a run for Congress. “He was the finest poker player I have ever played against,” a former Navy comrade said of Nixon in a 1970 Life magazine interview. “I once saw him bluff a lieutenant commander out of $1,500 with a pair of deuces.” 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 bp: bp supports more than 275,000 US jobs. Jobs keeping oil and gas flowing and jobs developing more lower carbon energy. It’s and, not or. See what doing both means for energy nationwide.     Follow us on Twitter Lauren Egan @Lauren_V_Egan Myah Ward @MyahWard Ben Johansen @BenJohansen3   Follow us

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://www.politico.com/_login?base=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to rouf@idiot.cloudns.cc by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service