The food on Air Force Two is bleh

Presented by the Coalition for Medicare Choices: The power players, latest policy developments, and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing.

Mar 31, 2023 View in browser   By Lauren Egan and Allie Bice Presented by the Coalition for Medicare Choices Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. Send tips | Subscribe here| Email Eli | Email Lauren After West Wing Playbook wrote on Tuesday about entry-level aides struggling to pay for their Air Force One meals, we heard from some vice presidential staffers who were aghast. Not because they were discovering that their colleagues were being charged for food but because they were being served in-flight filet mignon dinners. It turns out that Air Force Two meals are a bit lacking in comparison. Instead of arriving on gold-rimmed dinner plates, meals often come in brown bags. There’s lots of cold pasta salad, pre-packaged chips and soggy cold-cut sandwiches on white rolls. If it’s an early morning flight, you’re almost always going to get an egg and spinach breakfast burrito. “It’s a little more Southwest Airlines than Four Seasons,” said a former staffer to Vice President KAMALA HARRIS, who described Air Force Two food as “horrible slop.” The meals could be so unappetizing that staff would “take three bites of whatever is there and drop it on the table or put it back in the bag,” the former aide said. A natural inferiority complex can come when one works for the vice president. For starters, you’re not in the inner circle. You often get assigned the most politically fraught policy issues. And you’re stuck trying to figure out how to elevate your boss without stepping on the president’s toes. But you also don’t always get the same perks as those working in the West Wing. And for some, the Air Force Two experience is just another reminder of that dynamic. “Everything sucks compared to AF-1,” said a second former vice presidential staffer. “It’s so much more sophisticated and professional.” A White House official said staffers traveling on Air Force Two are constantly inquiring about the food menu — and lobbying for certain items. “It’s a hot conversation within the office,” the official said. The official added that just about everyone says that the breakfast pizza is the best morning option, but no one seems to agree on lunch or dinner. The official, who went out of their way to praise the military officials who operate Air Force Two, declined to say more about the meals. Former Harris aides who spoke with West Wing Playbook also praised the military service members as incredibly kind and welcoming. Still, they admit they did what they could to avoid eating the food onboard. Some people would pack their own snacks when they traveled. Other times staff would pick up lunch or dinner at a local restaurant before hopping back on the plane. A third former aide said that for domestic trips, they would play it safe with yogurt and an apple in the morning and then wait to eat once back in Washington. Everyone loved when a staff birthday fell on a travel day and someone brought cupcakes for aides to fill up on. Another downside of Air Force Two: no booze. While staffers flying with the president can order a beer on the way home from a long day of travel, those traveling on the vice president’s plane don’t have that option. Former Harris aides said it was rumored that Vice President MIKE PENCE banned alcohol when he was in office and Harris never changed the rule (a spokesperson for Pence did not get back to West Wing Playbook before publication). People didn’t always complain about the grub on Air Force Two. DENNIS ALPERT, who was Vice President AL GORE’s director of advance and trip director for over four years, said that when his team was in charge of setting the AF2 menu, the food selection would reflect Gore’s preferences (he loved spicy foods and lobster). If something wasn’t good, they’d fix it. For example, after someone complained that the coffee was bad, Alpert got it replaced by Swing’s, a coffee shop across the street from the White House that continues to be a staff favorite. While gripes by vice presidential staffers about meal service aboard private government flights might come across as trivial and ungracious, Alpert said it’s the seemingly small things that can make a demanding job just a bit more bearable. “We were going to eat well and of course, alcohol was allowed. It made this very difficult job more pleasant if you knew there was a great meal you were coming back to,” he said. MESSAGE US — Are you A FAN OF PIZZA FOR BREAKFAST? We want to hear from you. Do you heat it up or eat it cold? What toppings go best in the morning? Email us at westwingtips@politico.com. Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe here!   A message from the Coalition for Medicare Choices: Despite strong bipartisan support for Medicare Advantage, the Administration is considering harmful cuts to the program that could result in higher premiums and fewer benefits for enrollees. 85% of voters believe that President Biden would be breaking his promise to protect Medicare if cuts are made to Medicare Advantage. More than 30 million seniors and people with disabilities depend on Medicare Advantage for high quality, affordable health care. Don’t cut their care.   POTUS PUZZLER This one is from reader ALEX PENLER. The son of which president and first lady wrote murder mystery books about his mom solving the cases? (Answer at bottom.) Cartoon of the Week Cartoon by Jack Ohman | Courtesy It’s that time of the week when we feature a cartoon. This one is by JACK OHMAN. Our very own MATT WUERKER publishes a selection of cartoons from all over the country. The Oval 10-FOOT POLE? I’M NOT TOUCHING IT WITH A 90-FOOT ONE! Biden said Friday morning he has “no comment at all” regarding the indictment of former President DONALD TRUMP. That’s all, folks. Our JOSH GERSTEIN and KYLE CHENEY have more on what you need to know about Trump’s indictment here. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: This fact check by WaPo’s GLENN KESSLER: “How Kevin McCarthy manipulated Biden’s words on debt talks.” Kessler looks into a video of various clips McCarthy posted of Biden “whom Obama had dispatched to Capitol Hill to reach a deal in 2011 — that suggested Biden was being two-faced in his refusal to negotiate over the debt limit. McCarthy jabbed: ‘What changed?’” Kessler found the clips to “be misleadingly edited.” Several administration officials tweeted out the piece Friday. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This story by WSJ’s RYAN TRACY about how the president’s “$42.5 billion program to expand broadband could hit a speed bump, as some U.S. lawmakers push legislation to ensure rural states aren’t shortchanged. A bipartisan pair of senators Friday announced a bill that would require the Biden administration to perform an additional review before deciding how much funding each state will receive under the program.” ONE IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER: Our MAURA REYNOLDS writes for POLITICO Magazine that the case of EVAN GERSHKOVICH, an American journalist detained in Russia, is not like the case of BRITTNEY GRINER, the formerly detained WNBA superstar released in December. “While Americans like Griner occasionally run afoul of Russian authorities, it’s been decades since an American journalist has been arrested in Russia and held on spying charges,” Reynolds writes. “That doesn’t happen by accident, [journalist Andrew] Nagorski told me in an interview. Russia is sending a message, both to other journalists and to the West.” CRASHING THE PARTY: Biden’s visit to Ireland in April will delay the nation’s big soccer game between Linfield and Glentoran by a day, BBC reports. The Linfield Football Club said in a statement that while they “understand this decision may be necessary, given policing levels, we have concerns at the impact this short notice change will have on our supporters.” BYE BYE, BLUE CHECKS: The White House will not pay to have staffers’ official Twitter accounts continue to be verified, Axios’ SARA FISCHER reports. Twitter is expected to end legacy verified check marks on April 1 unless those interested pay an $8 monthly fee. MADE THE LIST: Vice President Harris and Supreme Court Justice KETANJI BROWN JACKSON made The Recast’s list of the 40 power players to watch. See the full list here.  CHINA’S INFLUENCE: As Harris’ trip to Africa comes to an end, AP’s CHRIS MEGERIAN, CARA ANNA and ANDREW MELDRUM report that China’s influence “has been a recurring backdrop for Harris’ journey.” The vice president has had a front row seat to several large-scale developments built by China — an airport, a 60,000-seat stadium and road and bridges, though she “played down the issue on her trip, preferring to focus on building partnerships independent of geopolitical competition.” On a lighter note, here’s a photo of Harris delivering a speech with giraffes in the background: Tweet by Kent Nishimura | Twitter   JOIN POLITICO ON 4/5 FOR THE 2023 RECAST POWER LIST: America’s demographics and power dynamics are changing — and POLITICO is recasting how it covers the intersection of race, identity, politics and policy. Join us for a conversation on the themes of the 2023 Recast Power List that will examine America’s decision-making tables, who gets to sit at them, and the challenges that still need to be addressed. REGISTER HERE.     THE BUREAUCRATS ROUSE’S PARTING GIFT: Friday marks CECILIA ROUSE’s last day as the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers. NYT’s JIM TANKERSLEY reports that as a farewell gift, staff got her “a chart showing every previous chair of the council, ranked by the number of jobs created during their tenure. Dr. Rouse’s name tops the list.” Maybe a nice bottle of wine would have been good too? PERSONNEL MOVES: TODD BREASSEALE is now leading the Office of Information Operations Policy for the assistant secretary of Defense for special operations/low-intensity conflict, DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned. He most recently was deputy assistant to the secretary of Defense for media in the Pentagon’s public affairs office and is an Obama DHS alum. — JIMMY ANDERSON is now an associate partner at IBM Global Consulting. He most recently served in the White House as the director of veterans engagement and has also previously worked for VA Secretary DENIS MCDONOUGH.   A message from the Coalition for Medicare Choices:   Agenda Setting NEW EV RULES JUST DROPPED: The Treasury Department unveiled a proposal Friday that makes it “harder for many electric vehicles to qualify for federal tax breaks — but could, over the long term, foster the growth of entire new U.S.-based industries built around clean energy,” our JAMES BIKALES reports. The move is part of the Biden administration’s larger fight against climate change. MORE TRAIN FALLOUT: The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against railway company Norfolk Southern over the February train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, saying the company “unlawfully [polluted] waterways with oil and hazardous substances from the derailed trains,” our MATT BERG reports. “The DOJ is seeking injunctive relief, cost recovery and civil penalties to ‘ensure it pays the full cost of the environmental cleanup.’”   DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated 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, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID.     What We're Reading Among 160 years of presidential scandals, Trump stands alone (AP’s Russ Bynum) Team Trump Demands Congress Push Biden Criminal Referrals — and Fast (Rolling Stone’s Asawin Suebsaeng) Africa Tour Shows Kamala Harris’s Less-Scripted Side—and Limits of Vice Presidency (WSJ’s Annie Linskey) The Oppo Book We’ve mentioned before that JARED BERNSTEIN studied at the Manhattan School of Music before jumping into the world of economics. He’s a big music nerd. West Wing Playbook found his blog titled “On The Economy,” and it includes musical hot takes and recs. One of Bernstein’s favorite musicals? “Guys and Dolls,” which features overlapping stories of New York gangsters in the 1920s. “Now, I’m happy to argue with all y’all about the GSE’s, the Phillips Curve, the optimal level for the minimum wage, and fiscal policy, all day, everyday, 24/7,” Bernstein wrote in 2015. “But I’ll bruck no pushback of my assertion that the great, American musical is ‘Guys and Dolls,’ full stop.” Luck be a lady, Jared. POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER ELLIOTT ROOSEVELT, the son of FRANKLIN and ELEANOR ROOSEVELT, wrote several murder mysteries in which his mother works to solve them. Many of the books have titles that include various rooms of the White House grounds, like “Murder in the East Room,” Murder in the Oval Office” and “Murder in the Rose Garden.”   A message from the Coalition for Medicare Choices: Medicare Advantage is facing billions in cuts that would hurt the more than 30 million Americans who depend on it for affordable health care. Medicare Advantage provides affordable health care and continues to be a vital source of coverage for low-income seniors, people with disabilities, and diverse populations. As of 2020, approximately 55% of Hispanic individuals and 54% of Black individuals eligible for Medicare choose Medicare Advantage plans. Funding Medicare Advantage is an extremely important issue for senior voters. Voters with Medicare Advantage overwhelmingly believe that it is important for the federal government and the Administration to fully fund Medicare Advantage to cover increasing health care costs. The consequences of cutting funding to Medicare Advantage are dire. A majority of senior voters believe that cuts would impact their ability to afford health care and that increased premiums would negatively impact their ability to afford other necessities. Don’t cut their care.     Follow us on Twitter Eli Stokols @EliStokols Lauren Egan @Lauren_V_Egan Allie Bice @alliebice   Follow us

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