A long overdue meeting

Dec 18, 2023

By Jennifer Haberkorn, Myah Ward, Lauren Egan and Benjamin Johansen

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Three days after members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus publicly blasted the White House over border policy, they got their long-requested meeting with senior White House officials via Zoom over the weekend.

But the meeting with CHC leaders did little to settle the brewing frustration from caucus members. And by Monday, as the larger CHC membership met for a follow-up conversation, the frustration directed at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue had turned to anger.

“People are very shocked at the administration’s response of how they work with CHC on these issues,” said Rep. LOU CORREA (D-Calif.), a caucus member. The administration is “assuming we’re going to go along with the totality of this package even though it has flawed immigration policy. Nothing can be further from the truth.”

On Saturday, senior CHC House leadership along with senators had a video call with chief of staff JEFF ZIENTS and Homeland Security Secretary ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS.

Lawmakers relayed their increasing fears that the Biden administration will agree to significant, long-term changes in border policy that would curtail migrant rights in exchange for providing foreign aid to Ukraine and Israel for a short period of time.

They conveyed their opposition to the policies on the table — including raising the credible fear standard, expedited removal and expulsion authority — and warned of the political consequences for Latino voters in the 2024 election, according to three people familiar with the call.

Lawmakers also expressed frustration that the meeting took so long to get on the books, particularly given that the group of Hill negotiators lacks any Latino senators or lawmakers deeply rooted in immigration policy.

But perhaps their greatest source of aggravation was that once they got the meeting, White House officials declined to provide any meaningful level of detail about the policies on the table. Administration officials told lawmakers they are strongly protecting presidential parole authority but danced around direct answers on other policies, according to the three people.

“Zients and Mayorkas walked through in detail with the CHC the proposals on the table and where we are,” said another person with knowledge of the call, adding that there are still other policy issues being worked out.

The call, first requested about two weeks ago, came as the White House dramatically increased its role in the negotiations, including through an in-person meeting on the Hill by Mayorkas. Prior to that, administration officials kept an arms distance from the Senate-focused negotiations, although Zients had held several one-on-one calls with members of the CHC during that time.

CHC members did leave the meeting with a promise from White House officials to be kept in the loop on the negotiations and to have follow-up briefings.

CHC Chair NANETTE BARRAGAN (D-Calif.) told the Biden administration that it’s underestimating the level of Democratic support in the House, according to one of the people familiar with the call.

If the CHC forcefully opposes a potential border-Ukraine package, the group could pose a threat to defeat the measure alongside other skeptics such as the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, the Congressional Progressive Caucus and conservative Republicans who oppose Ukraine aid.

While a border deal has not yet been struck and isn’t likely this year, CHC members have openly discussed the significance of such a vote for their members and the importance of ensuring they don’t get rolled on its top issue.

“CHC is frustrated and pissed off,” said a fourth person familiar with the call. “The White House had the meeting basically to check a box.”

Nicholas Wu contributed to this report.

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A message from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids:

President Biden, you can’t conquer cancer without standing up to Big Tobacco. Eliminating menthol cigarettes advances your Cancer Moonshot more than any other action. Your Administration knows smoking is the “biggest single driver of cancer deaths,” causing 30% of these deaths. Banning menthols will prevent cancer and save Black lives, closing the racial gap in lung cancer deaths within 5 years. Issue the final menthol rule this year. Delays cost lives, especially Black lives. Learn more.

POTUS PUZZLER

What is the alleged reason that President WILLIAM MCKINLEY was expelled from Allegheny College?

(Answer at bottom.)

The Oval

A SOMBER ANNIVERSARY: Monday marked the 51st anniversary of the car crash that killed JOE BIDEN’s first wife and baby daughter. NBC’s MIKE MEMOLI writes that the anniversary “has remained a sacred and protected day on [Biden’s] calendar as president, as it was when he was vice president and a senator.”

The president and first lady attended what appeared to be a private church service in Wilmington, Del., in the morning before visiting the gravesite of the president’s late wife and daughter, according to print pooler ERIN LOGAN of the LA Times.

A TIME-HONORED TRADITION: After eating lunch with HUNTER BIDEN and other family members and friends at Rocco Italian Grill & Sports Bar, Biden hit the mall for some last-minute Christmas shopping. Bloomberg’s JOSH WINGROVE reports that Biden stopped by Indulgence Jewelers in Wilmington.

We hope the first lady gets something nice.

HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE BAD POLLS? Biden has grown increasingly frustrated with his poor poll numbers, WaPo’s TYLER PAGER reports. In a conversation with close aides in the White House residence just before Thanksgiving, Biden “delivered some stern words for the small group assembled: His poll numbers were unacceptably low and he wanted to know what his team and his campaign were doing about it,” Pager writes.

EVERYTHING IS FINE. NOTHING TO SEE HERE: But whatever frustrations Biden might have behind closed doors, he’s not giving it away in public. Our KIERRA FRAZIER reports that three times now in a little over a month, “Biden has dismissed polls that show him trailing Trump or other potential GOP rivals and insisted that reporters aren’t getting the full picture.”

Most recently, as he was leaving his campaign headquarters in Wilmington on Sunday, Biden was asked by a reporter why he’s losing to Trump in the polls. “You’re reading the wrong polls,” Biden responded.

WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: This 2023 White House memo highlighting the Biden administration’s accomplishments, with a specific emphasis on the growing economy. The memo, addressed to “interested parties,” calls out “extreme Congressional Republicans” for lacking a plan to lower costs for families and argues that they “attack freedoms like the right to choose, right to vote, and right to love who you love and be who you are.” White House communications director BEN LABOLT, deputy communications director HERBIE ZISKEND and deputy press secretary ANDREW BATES shared the memo on X.

WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece from Bloomberg’s HADRIANA LOWENKRON, reporting on a new poll from Monmouth University, showing Biden’s approval hitting an all-time low. Just 34 percent of Americans approving of his job performance, down from 54 percent when he took office. Over two-thirds of Americans disapprove of the president’s handling of inflation and immigration and just three out of 10 respondents say Biden is prioritizing the issues most important to them.

Monmouth University polling institute director PATRICK MURRAY noted that the administration’s economic pitch to voters is not resonating. “The Biden administration keeps touting their infrastructure investments and a host of positive economic indicators,” Murray said. “Those data points may be factual, but most Americans are still smarting from higher prices caused by post-pandemic inflation.”

A message from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids:

THE BUREAUCRATS

PERSONNEL MOVES: TYLER CHERRY is now the communications director for the Department of the Interior and MELISSA SCHWARTZ is now senior counselor to the Interior secretary and chief of staff to the acting deputy secretary, our DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned. Cherry most recently was principal deputy communications director and Schwartz was communications director at the department.

— ANALYSSE ESCOBAR is now special assistant to the president for domestic agency personnel. She most recently was an engagement adviser in the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Vice President.

— JOHN CHILTON MCAULIFF is now senior policy adviser in the Office of Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation at the White House. He most recently was senior adviser on climate and rural development for the Rural Business-Cooperative Services at the USDA.

Agenda Setting

JUSTICE FOR HOLIDAY TRAVELERS: The Transportation Department fined Southwest Airlines a record $140 million over last year’s travel meltdown that left millions of people stranded during the holiday season, our ORIANA PAWLYK reports.

“Taking care of passengers is not just the right thing to do — it’s required, and this penalty should put all airlines on notice to take every step possible to ensure that a meltdown like this never happens again,” Transportation Secretary PETE BUTTIGIEG said in a statement.

RAMPING UP THE PRESSURE: Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN made his second trip to Israel on Monday, hoping to deliver a more candid message to encourage Israeli forces to push away from bombardment in Gaza. In a joint appearance with Israeli Defense Minister YOAV GALLANT, Austin said they discussed pathways “toward a future for Gaza after Hamas,” as well as how to take “urgent action” to stabilize the West Bank, CNN’s HALEY BRITZKY reports.

“Attacks by extremist settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank must stop,” Austin said. “And those committing the violence must be held accountable.”

18 MONTHS LATER… On Monday, the Justice Department unveiled a new database that will document misconduct by federal law enforcement officers, fulfilling a Biden promise from May 2022. The National Law Enforcement Accountability Database will serve as a resource for federal offices in hiring and screening, aiming at preventing officers with misconduct violations from being rehired.

“No law enforcement agency — including the Justice Department — can effectively do its work without the trust of the public,” said Attorney General MERRICK GARLAND. “This database will give our law enforcement agencies an important new tool for vetting and hiring officers and agents that will help strengthen our efforts to build and retain that trust.”

What We're Reading

Everyone expected a recession. The Fed and White House found a way out (WaPo’s Rachel Siegel and Jeff Stein)

FTC’s Khan and DOJ’s Kanter Beat Back Deals at Fastest Clip in Decades (Bloomberg’s Leah Nylen)

Biden’s delay in banning menthol cigarettes puts more Black lives at risk (NAACP’s Derrick Johnson for MSNBC.com)

POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER

Rumor has it that McKinley was dismissed from Allegheny College for bringing a cow up three flights of stairs into the school’s bell tower. But since cows are unable to walk down stairs, the fire department allegedly had to, uh, take care of the bovine to remove it from the tower.

Another telling of the story notes that it was not a cow, but a goat. Either way, McKinley never finished his degree from Allegheny.

Just wait until PETA gets word of this.

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 Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids:

President Biden, you can’t conquer cancer without standing up to Big Tobacco. Eliminating menthol cigarettes advances your Cancer Moonshot more than any other action.

Your Administration knows smoking is the “biggest single driver of cancer deaths,” causing 30% of these deaths. Banning menthols will prevent cancer and save Black lives, closing the racial gap in lung cancer deaths within 5 years.

Issue the final menthol rule this year. Delays cost lives, especially Black lives.

Learn more.