Welcome to The Back Booth, a weekend edition of The DC Brief. Here, TIME’s politics newsletter will host a conversation between political experts on the right and left every Saturday, pulling back the curtain on the talks taking place in Washington when the tape stops rolling. Subscribe to The DC Brief here.
It’s only April in Washington, but by the time you see DC starting to pose, you might think it’s late October and the last leaves are turning.
That’s because the remaining agenda for lawmakers is quickly being consumed by midterm election talk. With control of the House and Senate up for grabs, strategists from both parties are scrambling to figure out how best to use the balance of the 117th Congress to position themselves for the tail end of President Joe Biden’s first term. With his budget rolled out this week, Russian tanks rolling back from Kyiv, and Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson seeking a confirmation vote next week to become the first black woman on the Supreme Court, there are plenty of moments for lawmakers to peacock.
To analyze the week’s news, The DC Brief emailed two Senate veterans. Democratic strategist Maura Keefe spent more than a decade as chief of staff to New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen, presiding over the luncheons of the Democratic chiefs of staff and serving as head of a bipartisan confab of top Senate advisers. She was the Hillary Clinton campaign’s liaison to Congress during the 2016 race and previously led ground operations for Rep. Rosa DeLauro.
Across the aisle, Matthew Bartlett served as senior adviser to Senator Kelly Ayotte, also from New Hampshire. His resume includes stints as a political hand at ONE, the global health organization most associated with Bono, as a staffer on Jon Huntsman’s presidential bid, and as public affairs director at the State Department during the Trump era.
The conversation between the two, who both now run their own consulting firms, has been edited slightly.
Philip Elliott: Hello friends. Strike it now: the president has released his budget, Congress will pretend to see it, and things in Ukraine have hit the two-month mark. Now, when advising policymakers, what message do they need to convey? Are you trying to keep Ukraine in the headlines, or are you swinging back home to the budget debate? Or is there a way to put them together? You have both worked for adults interested in foreign policy. Does this brand of leader have a moment before the Midterms consume it all?
Matthew Bartlett: What is everyone on the Senate staff saying? “The President proposes and the Senate decides.” Typically, the budget is used as a doorstop and the Senate is happy to do the household chores it is assigned.
Maura Keefe: Budget week is like a closing week for political wonks. Across DC, smart pants from across the political spectrum are burning up the midnight oil and digging into the details. And they’ll find plenty to love and hate depending on which end of the spectrum they fall on. More than anything else, the President’s budget is a statement of values. What do you stand for and what will you fight for? Biden has been pretty clear about fighting for tax justice, climate finance and money for Ukraine, and it’s all reflected in his budget.
Bartlett: Budget aside, it looks like some of Build Back Better’s embers could catch fire. With Manchin signaling that he might be open to a deal, I think people are lining up what they want to see – and don’t want to see – in this potential vehicle. I’m also hearing that some are already looking for a possible lame duck session after the midterms.
Elliott: December in Washington with a bunch of lawmakers packing their offices is always a great time.
Bartlett: Speaking of midterms, I have a feeling that public opinion on some of these ideas will matter more than ever, as public opinion soon becomes voter sentiment. Legislators from both houses and parties will increasingly tune in to local newspapers, radio and local television at home and turn off some Beltway noise. I feel like a constituent vote is probably more effective now than it was a few months ago. It will be important for senators and congressmen to have their finger on the pulse of what their constituents want or don’t want and then figure out what the priority is.
Of course, any domestic problems could be overshadowed by unexpected geopolitical events, which I think is more to be expected these days.
Keefe: In terms of national and international priorities, when you have the big job, you don’t have a choice. Of course, elections are usually domestic wins (9/11 was an exception), and so wringing our arms out of the economy is task number one. Seeing the release of oil reserves today is another sign the government is focused on consumer prices. It’s still the economy, fool!
For Biden to lead an international coalition, oppose Russia, and simply pursue a coherent foreign policy is an important reminder to the American people of why stable leadership is vital. It doesn’t matter whether that pops up in the polls. It is a great moment when US leadership is challenged and a good performance is vital for the President, the country and the world. Joe Biden was made for this moment.
Elliott: Maura, I think everything is spot on here, although I do wonder if the enduring presidency — regardless of the person — can stabilize the world right now. It seems like a huge dumpster fire abroad and a totally predictable COVID funding issue here at home. Also, with the whole infrastructure issue, I’m still not sure I can come to terms with it.
Bartlett: It sounds like there is a need and now a chance for a COVID stand-by contract. It looks like they are looking at an accounting of both stocks and funds, trying to ensure that we as a nation are better prepared for another wave and that we are also helping to address COVID globally. Romney and Schumer are talking, and that’s a good thing. Not only are we saving lives, we would be saving money as we have learned that preventing another global health emergency is certainly cheaper than dealing with a new one. Can you imagine if the last variant or the next variant was both more transmissible and deadlier? I don’t know what our world would look like.
Elliott: Speaking of the world…
Bartlett: What can you say about Ukraine and Russia? A madman invades a neighboring country, killing innocents, women and children, and sending hit squads to assassinate Zelenskyy — and there’s some DC bedwetting when President Biden says Putin shouldn’t be in power? Give me a break. I fully know that no one wants to escalate this war into WWIII, but neither am I concerned about offending an invading murderous dictator. Putin caused this. He’s the one who should live in fear. Not us.
And I have to say that before the war, Zelensky nonchalantly brushed aside US warnings and even contradicted US intelligence agencies. I don’t think we’ve ever seen such an historic shift in attitude and a rise to the occasion. In the fog of war his bravery shines bright as a beacon.
Keefe: Stable US leadership doesn’t solve all problems, but it’s a lot better than the alternative.
There are a few problems on the hill. On the one hand a bit of spending fatigue and on the other hand the summer slump that is quickly approaching. The clock is ticking but I think there is a deal on parts from BBB.
Bartlett: I was a little surprised again last night when progressives in the House and Senate seemed to throw a bucket of cold water at Manchin’s possible BBB proposals. I thought at this point they’d be open to passing on anything Joe can do — either Joe, Biden, or Manchin — but progressives look like they might chime in again. On the other hand, it’s always darkest before the light, or as McCain would joke, “always darkest before it’s all black.”
And the Biden admin seems to be purely reactionary at the moment: he is reacting to the virus, he is reacting to Russia, he is reacting to inflation, he is reacting to Manchin, he is reacting to gas prices. Administration is always difficult to run, even more difficult when not on your own terms.
Keefe: Congressional leadership appears to be more optimistic about a COVID deal, but how they’ll do that before next week’s break is unclear, as there would be a whole host of procedural hurdles to clear and confirm that judges Jackson is the first order of the day.
Bartlett: KBJ will happen and it will be historic. But it will be interesting to see how she votes. I believe the current liberal wing of SCOTUS is voting in lockstep. Right side? Not as much. Once they’re there, there’s always a chance for surprises.
Elliott: Guys, I really appreciate your thoughtfulness this week. We’ll have to do this in person next time in our old Manchester, NH haunts
More must-read stories from TIME
Comments are closed.