Moderate Democrats are reportedly griping over White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain’s recent private, in-person meetings with progressives, including New York Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman.
The trouble seems to have started two weeks ago, when Klain met with the official leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, including chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., to discuss a number of issues, including President Joe Biden’s jobs plan and the border crisis. Last week, Klain met with Reps. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., Andy Levin, D-Mich., Ocasio-Cortez and Bowman to discuss the filibuster, minimum wage and other issues, according to Axios.
“People were definitely sore that they invited over some of the lefties,” one moderate Democratic lawmaker told Politico.
Some Democrats expressed concern about the White House appearing to focus on lawmakers who are viewed as fringe, at the expense of cultivating relationships with the moderate lawmakers who tend to the nitty gritty of legislating, even if that means they’re not prominent personalities on cable news.
“People were shocked that Ron Klain was going to see certain [progressive] members but not members of the committees that they need to get their agenda passed,” another House Democrat told Axios. The person also complained that the meetings come while progressives are “challenging all of us” in primaries.
Jayapal told Politico she pressed Klain for a commitment to include a minimum wage increase, child care and paid leave in Biden’s jobs plan and said Democrats would need to go the 51-vote reconciliation vote route instead of trying to cut a deal with Republicans to get it done.
“We can either go green, or we can go bipartisan, because I just don’t think that Republicans are ready to have a transformative package — and so I said that at the White House,” Jayapal said.
Klain seemed to agree with the group’s leaders on certain aspects of the Build Back Better Plan and how to use it to redistribute wealth, said Jayapal.
“We did have a very good discussion about how the White House sees any revenue [raisers] — and I think we share their perspective — that revenue raisers are really about making the tax code fair,” Jayapal said. “And of course, addressing the massive and unprecedented income inequality in this country. … That’s very much our frame as well.”
Moderate Democrats, per Politico, want face time with Klain, too, as they want their priorities also included when Biden unveils his massive infrastructure plan.
The group’s complaints have gotten the attention of White House counselor Steve Ricchetti, and he and White House legislative affairs director Louisa Terrell have a meeting planned with the bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus in the coming days.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., told Politico it was important for engagement from all Democrats on Biden’s economic package.
“Ricchetti and Louisa regularly reach out to me to get feedback,” Gottheimer said. But he added, “Engagement on this package with a broad group of moderates — Democrats and Republicans — will be key.”
Source: Newmax
