Biden Battles Covid, Calls to Quit: What to Know in Washington

Biden Fights Covid Amid Calls to Step Aside

The House and Senate’s top Democrats are warning President Joe Biden his continued candidacy imperils the Democratic Party’s chances in the November election, according to multiple news reports.

A flood of leaks detailed senior leaders in the Democratic Party warning Biden personally that he was unlikely to defeat Donald Trump and is putting his congressional allies at risk.

ABC News reported late Wednesday that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) said it would be best if Biden bowed out of the race during a Saturday meeting in Delaware, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), according to ABC, expressed a similar view in a one-on-one meeting last Thursday night at the White House. Read More

Biden, meanwhile, can’t catch a break. The president’s hopes of counter-programming the Republican National Convention were dashed Wednesday after he learned he had contracted Covid-19, forcing him to cancel an appearance before a key Latino advocacy group. The diagnosis comes at a critical moment where he is trying desperately to prove that concerns over his age and mental acuity are overblown. Read More

• Also Read: Biden Campaign Co-Chair Warns Donors Drying Up, Semafor Says

The latest gambit to stabilize Biden’s reelection bid has been a veer to the left, looking to bolster progressive support by floating ambitious new proposals to erase medical debt, cap rent increases, and impose sweeping new restraints on the Supreme Court. Biden today announced the cancellation of an additional $1.2 billion in student debt for 35,000 public servants, the latest effort to deliver on one of his signature initiatives. Read More

His campaign has also flooded Washington with memos: to lawmakers, insisting he would remain in the race; to donors, promising a viable path remains; and to the media, arguing the dynamics of the race haven’t changed.

Senior Democrats considered, then abandoned, a bid to formalize his nomination early, while some allies pointed to the assassination attempt on Republican rival Donald Trump to argue the party couldn’t afford the chaos of a ticket change. Biden himself has held a series of calls and video teleconferences with skeptical members on Capitol Hill. Read More

BIDEN’S SCHEDULE

• The president has no public events.

CONVENTION AGENDA

• For the latest on the RNC, read BGOV’s special edition Convention Tracker newsletter.

Dispatch from Milwaukee

The Republican party downsized its policy platform under Donald Trump to limit swing-voter controversy.

Should Trump win back the presidency, his policy agenda — from abortion to trade and taxation —would face opposition from Democrats, divisions among Republicans, and pressure from lobbying interests that won’t surrender willingly.

The party’s new platform is light on the details and largely focuses on broad Republican goals like lowering inflation, cutting regulations, and securing the southern border with Mexico. It highlights Trump’s populism on trade policy.

The margins in Congress, if still slim next year, will frustrate the executive agenda, no matter who wins in November, Kate Ackley and Zach C. Cohen report. Read More

• Also Read: What to Watch in Trump’s First Speech to GOP Since Shooting

More from the RNC

Secret Service’s Cheatle Willing to Testify Before House Panel

The Homeland Security Department agreed to make Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle available to testify before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on the Trump assassination attempt, but the agency is pushing back on the July 22 date the panel has demanded.

DHS cited Cheatle’s obligations at the RNC in a Wednesday letter to Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) seeking another date, Ellen M. Gilmer reports. The House panel subpoenaed Cheatle on Wednesday when the DHS hadn’t committed to a date.

• Read the DHS’s Letter | Read the Panel’s Subpoena

Meanwhile, there are new calls for Cheatle’s resignation. “The nation deserves answers and accountability. New leadership at the Secret Service would be an important step in that direction,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a post on X Wednesday. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) also on Wednesday called on Cheatle to resign. Read More

At the RNC, senators confronted Cheatle Wednesday about what they say has been insufficient information following Saturday’s shooting. Read More

DHS’s internal watchdog announced a probe Wednesday to assess how the Secret Service’s counter-sniper team responds to threats at events. The office is also reviewing security plans for Trump’s Pennsylvania campaign rally. Read More

Politics & Probes

Sen. Bob Menendez Tells CBS ‘I Have Not Resigned’

“I can tell you that I have not resigned nor have I spoken to any so called allies,” Sen. Bob Menendez told CBS New York’s Christine Sloan on Wednesday.

Russia’s Lavrov Praises Trump, Vance on Ukraine War Stance

Russia’s top diplomat signaled a preference for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and especially his running mate JD Vance, praising their vocal interest in cutting a deal to end the war in Ukraine.

Special Counsel Is Appealing Dismissal of Trump Documents Case

US Special Counsel Jack Smith filed a notice of appeal with a federal court in Florida to challenge a judge’s decision earlier this week dismissing charges against Donald Trump over mishandling classified information and obstruction.

N.J. Dems Eye Newark Council Member to Replace Payne

Democratic officials in New Jersey’s 10th District are likely to nominate Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver at a convention today to replace the late ex-Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D) on the Nov. 5 general election ballot.

McIver’s backing from many state and local party leaders helped propel her to victory in a special Democratic primary on Tuesday, making her a prohibitive favorite to win a Sept. 18 special general election and complete the remainder of Payne’s unexpired term in New Jersey’s most overwhelmingly Democratic district.

Also in the News

Army Corps Misses Hill Deadline on Future of Oregon Dams Report

The agency missed a June 22 deadline required by the 2022 Water Resources Development Act to submit a report outlining the elimination of hydropower at multiple dams operating in the populous Willamette River Basin.

US Taps Federal Buildings to Test Next-Generation Climate Tech

The Biden administration on Thursday will unveil 17 cutting-edge technologies it’s going to test in federal buildings, part of a $9.6 million effort to boost climate tech products at the edge of commercialization.

US Plans New Fund to Speed Up Latin America Investment Projects

The Biden administration is launching a new technical assistance program to boost investment in Latin America and the Caribbean, as regional officials meet in Washington for talks on efforts to spur development, create jobs and counter migration pressures.

US Urges Supreme Court Pass on Latest Student Loan Challenge

President Joe Biden’s second attempt at securing billions in student loan forgiveness is well within his authority, administration officials said in a brief urging the Supreme Court to nix a challenge to the effort brought by GOP-led states.

Fed’s Beige Book Shows Slight Economic Growth, Cooling Inflation

The US economy grew at a slight pace heading into the third quarter, with a number of regions noting flat or declining activity, the Federal Reserve said in its Beige Book survey of regional business contacts.

Pentagon Ends Gaza Pier Mission as Focus Turns to Cyprus-Ashdod

Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, Deputy Commander of the US Central Command, says the pier effort accomplished what was intended and the effort has “transitioned” to sending aid from Cyprus to the Israeli port of Ashdod.

Maternal Deaths Were Highest in States That Restrict Abortion

Women were more than twice as likely to die in or around childbirth in some US states with severe abortion restrictions compared to those with greater access, researchers said, and disparities could worsen as access to the procedure narrows.

New Interior Oil Drilling Permits Temporarily Blocked in Wyoming

New oil drilling permits on nearly 120,000 acres of public land in Wyoming were temporarily paused by a federal court Tuesday.

Top Carmakers Unlikely to Hit US Emission Goals, Greenpeace Says

Several of the world’s largest carmakers, including Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motor Co., are unlikely to meet new US greenhouse gas emission targets by 2032, according to analysis by Greenpeace, in a sign they need to accelerate their adoption of electric vehicles to avoid penalties.

To contact the reporters on this story: Brandon Lee in Washington at blee@bgov.com; Jeannie Baumann in Washington at jbaumann@bloombergindustry.com

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kayla Sharpe at ksharpe@bloombergindustry.com; Giuseppe Macri at gmacri@bgov.com