Biden world's Senate rescue mission

An evening recap of the action on Capitol Hill and preview of the day ahead

Jul 10, 2024 View in browser   By Ursula Perano With assists from POLITICO’s Congress team Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer invited top Biden campaign officials to address concerns within the caucus about the president's political standing. | Francis Chung/POLITICO BETTER LATE THAN NEVER A Thursday meeting between Senate Democrats and senior aides to Joe Biden will be a marquee moment in the president’s attempt to quell intraparty concerns over his candidacy. But, no, the president won’t be there. Instead, it will be Biden campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon, plus senior advisers Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti, speaking inside a closed-door meeting at Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee headquarters. The group was invited by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to provide an opportunity to address concerns within the caucus, we’re told. Numerous Democratic senators have said they need to see more from the president to prove that he’s up for the bitter campaign that’s sure to play out over the next four months. And some wanted this sort of opportunity to touch base with Biden world well before now. “Should have had it 10 days ago,” Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) told reporters Wednesday after saying publicly Tuesday he thinks Biden is on track to lose this November. Still, Bennet said he’s “looking forward to having the conversation.” He did not directly answer a question about whether he’s disappointed the president himself is not attending, instead saying he’s “not been able to focus on that” and looks forward to what “these folks have to say.” Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), who tried to organize a private conversation among Senate Democrats after the president’s disastrous debate performance, dodged questions on the Wednesday meeting, referring reporters back to his previous statement calling for “conversations about the strongest path forward.” Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who has also acknowledged unease about Biden’s viability, would not confirm or deny whether he’s even going to the meeting. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) told reporters she’s eager to relay concerns she’s heard from her constituents. But Biden’s allies rebuked the idea that the meeting represents any sort of make-or-break moment for the president. While eight House Democrats have called on the president to step aside, no Senate Democrats have. That firewall has held through a tumultuous few days of questioning from a supersized number of reporters on the Hill this week. Still, a number of Democrats continue to insist that the decision is up to Biden — even as their pro-Biden colleagues insist the decision has already been made. “He gave a letter. He delivered it to the entire House and Senate Democratic caucuses saying he has a great record,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) told reporters on Wednesday. “He sees clearly what a risk Donald Trump is to our country. He looks forward to being our nominee.” Coons added: “I do think that it's important that we have a robust conversation with the campaign about the path forward. ... I think tomorrow will be another constructive conversation.” — Ursula Perano GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Wednesday July 10, where we have a lot of feelings about the traffic in D.C. during the NATO summit this week.   Understand 2024’s big impacts with Pro’s extensive Campaign Races Dashboard, exclusive insights, and key coverage of federal- and state-level debates. Focus on policy. Learn more.     COULD ADMIN GAVEL GO OUT OF STEIL? House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) could have a fight on his hands if Republicans keep their majority: Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) isn’t ruling out a fight for the panel’s gavel next year. Loudermilk made a play for the chairmanship two years ago after then-ranking member Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) lost his primary. But Speaker Kevin McCarthy tapped Steil, who was viewed as more of an ally of the California Republican. Instead, Loudermilk has found a prominent platform as chair of the committee’s oversight subpanel, where he’s kept busy with a look back at the Jan. 6 select committee’s work. That investigation has garnered the Georgia Republican praise from Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans. “It would be something I would consider,” Loudermilk said when we asked if he was interested in the top spot, though he cautioned that January is still a long way off by political standards. To be clear: There are no signs that Steil wants to leave the top spot, and one member of the panel, granted anonymity to avoid stepping into a potential intraparty race, praised him for doing “an exceptional job leading” the committee. What it will actually come down to: Whether Steil stays as the panel’s top Republican will ultimately come down to whomever leads House Republicans come January. The Administration Committee is one of only a few House panels whose makeup is determined solely by leadership, not by the GOP steering committee. — Jordain Carney   SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, our newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW.     AOC DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT MOVES FORWARD A federal judge gave the green light to a wrongful termination case against former acting Architect of the Capitol Chere Rexroat, giving hope for four plaintiffs who made claims of gender, age and veteran status discrimination after being fired from the troubled agency. "Perhaps Rexroat’s arguments will prove exculpatory. Perhaps Plaintiffs will be unable to prove up their allegations. But right now, Plaintiffs’ allegations support ‘the reasonable inference that [Rexroat] is liable for the misconduct alleged,’” wrote U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden. The former senior executives at the agency were ousted after the firing of former Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton. While McFadden said the plaintiffs “plausibly pled claims for sex, veteran, and age discrimination,” he dismissed one plaintiff’s racial discrimination claim. — Katherine Tully-McManus, with a key assist from Kyle Cheney HUDDLE HOTDISH Rosa DeLauro’s tat had a moment at House Appropriations today. Reminder: She got it with her grandaughter. (Inked lawmakers: Daniella is always down to talk tats!) Kellyanne Conway stopped by the Republican Study Committee lunch on Wednesday and talked health care. We agree with this unnamed senator about the state of the Senate Carryout. Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) has a new AI-generated voice, and it sounds wonderful. QUICK LINKS  Sherrod Brown privately reassures Dem donors: Senate candidates are 'running ahead' of Biden, from KTM and Ursula House Oversight subpoenas top Biden aides over his mental fitness, from Alex Thompson at Axios Influencer running for U.S. Senate challenges campaign finance rules, from Taylor Lorenz at The Washington Post Is This House Republican Calling for Armed Rebellion? He Won’t Say, from Haley Byrd Wilt at NOTUS How the Chevron ruling could change Congress, from Emma Dumain, Kelsey Brugger at E&E News TRANSITIONS  Phoebe Keller is now comms adviser for Senate Finance Committee Republicans. She previously was managing director of media relations at the American Enterprise Institute. THURSDAY IN CONGRESS The House is in session. The Senate is in session. THURSDAY AROUND THE HILL 9:30 a.m. The Senate Appropriations Committee holds a markup of the fiscal 2025 MilCon-VA, Agriculture-FDA, and Legislative Branch appropriations bills. (Dirksen 106) TRIVIA TUESDAY’S ANSWER: Andrew Schwartzman correctly answered that Nathaniel Hawthorne was with Franklin Pierce when Hawthorne died. TODAY’S QUESTION: Who defeated GOP incumbent Cale Boggs to become the fifth-youngest person ever elected to the Senate? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@politico.com. GET INSIDE CONGRESS emailed to your phone each evening.   Follow us

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