STARTING SOON — Live from Detroit, the DNC and POLITICO co-host an in-person candidate forum for the party’s officer elections. The event will be moderated by our own Eugene Daniels, White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns, Politics Bureau Chief and senior political columnist Jonathan Martin, and national political reporters Elena Schneider and Holly Otterbein. Watch it on YouTube or at POLITICO.com starting at 1:30 p.m.
LEAVING TOWN — Transportation Secretary PETE BUTTIGIEG gives his exit interview to our own Adam Wren: “‘An Artist Is Not Necessarily Appreciated in Their Lifetime’: Pete Buttigieg on Policy and Politics”
The highlights, from Adam: “Buttigieg defended implementation of the infrastructure law, even as he acknowledged it didn’t deliver huge rewards in the 2024 election. … Buttigieg also spoke about the difficulty of governing when the truth seems up for grabs, ELON MUSK’s role in the incoming Trump administration and chopping wood in his adopted hometown of Traverse City, where he’ll mull a future that could include either a Michigan gubernatorial bid in 2026 or a 2028 presidential campaign.”
COMING TO TOWN — “DeSantis picks Florida AG Ashley Moody to replace Rubio in the Senate,” by Kimberly Leonard: “The elevation of [Florida AG ASHLEY] MOODY into the role, once Sen. MARCO RUBIO resigns to be President-elect DONALD TRUMP’s secretary of State, installs a close [Florida Gov. RON] DeSANTIS ally — someone who was the first and only state Cabinet-level official to endorse the governor in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.”
INSIDE TODAY’S CONFIRMATION HEARINGS …
… TREASURY PICK SCOTT BESSENT: Though Finance Committee Dems came to Bessent’s hearing loaded for bear, with Sen. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-Mass.) previewing an exhaustive list of questions for the would-be Treasury secretary, today’s hearing has been relatively… tame.
Bessent hit the expected notes in his opening statement, calling for an extension of the Trump tax cuts, slamming “unfair distortions in the international trade system” and calling for the U.S. to “get our fiscal house in order.”
Still, there were a few notable exchanges:
— Bessent told Sen. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.) that he opposes raising the $7.25 an hour minimum wage, which has not changed since 2009 — its longest period of stagnation in American history.
— Sen. MAGGIE HASSAN (D-N.H.) asked Bessent whether he believes inflation and prices will go down under Trump. In response, Bessent noted he believes the administration “will increase real wages and lower inflation closer to the Federal Reserve 2% target, as it did during President Trump’s first administration.”
Hassan later asked if Trump should be held to the same standard as Biden, and carry the blame of any price increases over the next four years. After the nominee demurred, suggesting that blame for inflation may instead belong to the Federal Reserve or Congress’ spending policies, Hassan shot back that he was “articulating … a double standard, and it’s disappointing to me.”
Bessent is expected to get confirmed with ease.
… EPA PICK LEE ZELDIN noted that the agency’s mission is to address “clean air and clean water,” but avoided addressing whether the agency has any responsibility around climate change. When asked by Sen. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE (D-R.I.) about the basic science of climate change, Zeldin sidestepped the question, but eventually conceded that “greenhouse gases trap heat.”
… HUD PICK SCOTT TURNER suggested that the department is “failing at its most basic mission,” pointing to the nation’s homelessness rates and a lack of affordable housing. But one reason he cited for that lack of affordable housing falls well outside HUD’s remit: Turner told the panel that immigration places a “great burden” on the housing market, and said that officials can “take care of the American people” by addressing it.
… INTERIOR PICK DOUG BURGUM highlighted his record as North Dakota governor, trumpeting his record of bipartisanship and lauding Trump’s goal to achieve U.S. “energy dominance.” Burgum also said the U.S. must invest in “clean coal” in order to power growth in the artificial intelligence industry and noted the country is facing an “a larger crisis” around electricity. More from Zack Colman
… AG-DESIGNATE PAM BONDI was not present at today’s hearing on her confirmation, though character witnesses — including several Florida state officials — testified to her “commitment” to fairness and justice.
DEAL OR NO DEAL? — “Israel Delays Cabinet Vote on Cease-Fire Deal, Blames Hamas for Reneging,” by WSJ’S Summer Said, Jared Malsin and Anat Peled: “Israel delayed a cabinet vote on the cease-fire deal in Gaza until Friday after Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU accused Hamas of reneging on parts of the agreement, underscoring the pact’s fragility as mediators worked to iron out the wrinkles ahead of its implementation on Sunday. … Hamas is making new demands that Israel won’t agree to, including regarding the list of prisoners to be released, [an] Israeli official said.”
Latest on the ground … “People in Gaza are shocked Israel still hasn’t agreed to the ceasefire,” per AP … “Israeli strikes killed 77 Palestinians after the ceasefire was declared,” per CNN
FOOD FOR THOUGHT — “There’s Real Logic Behind Trump’s Global Ambitions,” by Thomas Barnett: “Do you want a future in which Canada defects to the EU, Russia rules the Arctic and China runs Latin America? That’s the default outcome of non-action.”
Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at [email protected].
A message from the National Retail Federation:
Many of the tax provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act are set to expire at the end of 2025. Retailers and small business owners have benefited from lower tax rates by investing the savings in their businesses and employees. NRF is advocating for reauthorization of TCJA to support our nation’s economic growth. Learn more.
1. RECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES: Another day, another intra-party boxing match over how to pass Trump’s agenda through the House. The House Freedom Caucus formalized their push for a two-step reconciliation plan in a new proposal this morning, calling for an initial bill that includes border security and addresses the debt ceiling, and a second package focused on tax cuts. That, of course, runs counter to the route favored by House Speaker MIKE JOHNSON, who prefers to pursue a bipartisan vote to raise the debt ceiling and to marry the tax and border security measures in “one big, beautiful bill,” to use Trump’s term.
Though the HFC said they are willing to work their GOP colleagues on a solution, Johnson is still left stuck between a rock and a hard place, since he needs the caucus’ support to pass any legislation through the chamber. More from Mia McCarthy
2. MEET THE NEW BOSS: “Rep. Rick Crawford expected to serve as House Intelligence chair,” by Meredith Lee Hill and Rachael Bade: “RICK CRAWFORD (R-Ark.) is the most senior Republican on the committee and viewed as a less hawkish pick than [former Chair MIKE] TURNER [(R-Ohio)]. He also holds more MAGA-friendly credentials — representing a deep red district in Arkansas and voting against Ukraine aid last year. … Johnson, who has sole discretion in choosing the panel’s chair, cited Trump as a reason for the ouster when the speaker met with Turner Wednesday night.”
3. THE C SUITE ANTES UP: Trump’s first White House victory caught corporate America flat-footed. Not this time. Ahead of his second inaugural, “industries that his administration will soon oversee are showering his inaugural committee with record-breaking donations — and making sure both the president-elect and the public notice their largesse,” Alice Miranda Ollstein, Caitlin Oprysko and Irie Sentner report.
In total, Trump’s inaugural committee and allied super PAC have raised up to $250 million, and while Trump’s PAC is not required to disclose its donors, many companies are “announcing the donations months before they have to be reported to federal regulators” — a public effort to curry favor in Trump world.
4. GOLDEN DAYS: “The House Democrat who wants Trump to go big on tariffs,” by WaPo’s Jeff Stein: “Most Democrats are poised to bash Trump over any price increases that follow new tariffs in his second administration, especially on inexpensive consumer goods like clothing. But [Rep. JARED] GOLDEN (D-Maine) is embracing Trump’s maximalist trade vision — and saying his own party needs to rethink theirs.”
What he’s doing: “On Thursday, the fourth-term congressman from northern Maine will introduce legislation to codify Trump’s campaign proposal to enact tariffs of at least 10 percent on all goods imported to the United States, according to a copy obtained by The Washington Post. … Even though Golden’s legislation reflects Trump’s signature economic policy, not a single House Republican has agreed to co-sponsor his bill, Golden said.”
5. JUDICIARY DEMS PLEAD WITH GARLAND: As House Judiciary Chair JIM JORDAN weighs whether to call special counsel JACK SMITH to testify over his investigations into Trump, Democrats on the committee are urging AG MERRICK GARLAND in to release release Smith’s report on Trump’s classified documents case before Biden leaves office, Hailey Fuchs and Kyle Cheney scoop.
In a letter to Garland, Judiciary Ranking Member JAMIE RASKIN (D-Md.) wrote that it “is essential that the American people and Congress understand how Mr. Trump mishandled our nation’s most sensitive classified information, especially because he will be sworn in as Commander-in-Chief.”
While Garland had already signaled he intends to keep the report secret, he “indicated he still wants to make it available to House and Senate Judiciary Committee leaders for review — which committee Democrats say isn’t good enough.”
6. SURVEY SAYS: Though Trump was frequently named the favorite when voters were asked about the economy during the campaign, a new AP-NORC Center poll shows that many Americans remain skeptical the president-elect will be able to ease their concerns about rising costs anytime soon. The poll shows that only 2 in 10 Americans are “extremely” or “very” confident that Trump will lower the cost of groceries, health care and housing in his first year, while around 3 in 10 are highly confident in Trump’s handling of the economy, AP’s Linley Sanders and Amelia Thomson-Deveaux report. Though Republicans have a higher level of confidence in Trump on some policy issues, “[o]nly about half of Republicans are extremely or very confident in Trump’s ability to handle health care,” and only half of Republicans “say they think Trump will be a ‘great’ president in his second term.”
IN MEMORIAM — “Betty Monkman, longtime curator of White House treasures, dies at 82” by WaPo’s Emily Langer: “Ms. Monkman joined the fledgling White House curatorial staff in 1967, the year she turned 25. The role of curator had been created only six years earlier by first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. … Monkman’s knowledge made her a go-to guide for important guests, including Raisa Gorbachev, the wife of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who toured the residence accompanied by first lady Nancy Reagan during a visit in 1987. Raisa Gorbachev did little to hide her dislike for the White House as a home.”
OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at Politics and Prose last night for a book event celebrating Julian Zelizer’s new book “In Defense of Partisanship” and featuring a conversation with WaPo’s E.J. Dionne: Michael Kazin, John Lawrence, Ezekiel Emanuel, Diane and Robert Levy and Jia Lynn Yang.
— British Ambassador Karen Pierce and Charles Roxburgh hosted a dinner last night in honor of Newsmax CEO Chris Rudd. SPOTTED: Australian Ambassador Kevin Rudd, Lithuanian Ambassador Audra Plepyte, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Reps. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Neal Dunn (R-Fla.), Paula Dobriansky, Keith Kellogg, Franco Nuschese, Kimberly Reed, Greta Van Susteren, John Coale, Alexandra Villard de Borchgrave, Senay Bulbul, David and Adele Malpass, Lucy Ferguson and Steve Clemons.
— SPOTTED last night at a going away party on the Hill for the former Chief of Staff to Rep. Ronny Jackson, Jeff Billman, who recently joined AxAdvocacy as a SVP: Reps. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas), Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Trent Kelly (R-Miss.), Mark Alford (R-Mo.), Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.), Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.), and former Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-Kan.).
WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Drew Wallace is now Democratic staff director for the Senate Rules Committee under ranking member Alex Padilla (D-Calif.). He previously was deputy assistant to the president and deputy director for the Senate in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs.
TRANSITIONS — Liz Forro is now a policy adviser in Hogan Lovells’ transportation practice and policy director for the Commercial Drone Alliance. She previously worked for the FAA and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. … Morgan Gress is joining Andreessen Horowitz as comms partner in the D.C. office. She previously was head of U.S. government comms at Palantir and is an Invariant and Brunswick alum. … James Kwon is joining the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and Aspire PAC as comms director. He previously was comms director for Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.). …
… Democracy Forward is adding Karianne Jones, Mike Martinez, Dan McGrath and Kevin Friedl as senior counsel and Emily Ross as deputy chief of staff and senior adviser to the president and CEO.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Brendan Bordelon, tech lobbying and influence reporter at POLITICO, and Ariel Cohen, health policy reporter at CQ Roll Call, on Saturday welcomed Noah Cohen Bordelon. Pic
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