VOL. 15 • NO. 11 | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2021 | .COM

SCOTUS denies Trump effort ‘An easy Urgency to ramp up vaccination Matt to block tax return subpoena target’ clashes with Biden’s equity focus Wuerker The move clears the way for prosecutors GOP opposition Virus variants are adding pressure to speed up The cartoonist’s in New York to receive eight years of the to Haaland rankles vaccinations, complicating efforts to ensure daily take on the ex-president’s tax returns and financial records. Native Americans. hard-to-reach communities don’t get left behind. world of politics. PAGE 16 PAGE 9 PAGE 7 PAGE 18 U.S. surpasses 500K Covid deaths

‘As a nation we can’t accept such a cruel fate,’ have been reported in almost every statistic or a blur or on the news.” beyond its symbolism, underscores state and threaten to tax already The president ordered flags be how quickly Biden’s team has come Biden said before a national moment of silence stressed local health systems. flown at half-staff for the next to own the health crisis as tensions “As a nation we can’t accept five days. build with states over vaccine al- BY BRIANNA EHLEY The milestone, based on a tally such a cruel fate,” said President Biden, soon after being sworn locations, school reopenings and The U.S. surpassed half a million maintained by Johns Hopkins Uni- , before holding a mo- in, predicted the nation would hit basic public health measures like coronavirus deaths on Monday, re- versity, came just over a month af- ment of silence for those who have half a million deaths by the end of mask mandates. inforcing the magnitude of the pan- ter the nation’s death toll passed died. “We have been fighting the February while warning his admin- “It really is a terrible situation demic even as more Americans get 400,000 and as public health offi- pandemic so long, we have to resist istration would be unable to dra- that we have been through, and vaccinated and Covid deaths and cials train their sights on new, more becoming numb to the sorrow. We matically increase the pace of vac- that we’re still going through,” hospitalizations are declining. contagious coronavirus strains that have to resist viewing each life as a cinations. The half-million mark, DEATHS on Page 10 Tanden in jeopardy as two Republicans oppose nomination BY MARIANNE LeVINE AND BURGESS EVERETT ’s nomination to be President Joe Biden’s budget chief is in even more trouble. GOP Sens. of Maine and of Utah said on Monday they will oppose Tanden to lead the White House Budget Office, dealing a decisive blow to her hopes of confirma- tion. And Democrats aren’t even sure whether Tanden will receive a vote on the Senate floor. Tanden’s bid to become director of the Office of Management and AL DRAGO/AP Budget first became imperiled Fri- LEIGH VOGEL/AP Attorney general nominee Merrick Garland is sworn in at his confirmation hearing on Monday. Sen. Richard day, when Sen. (D-W. Neera Tanden’s nomination to lead Blumenthal said Garland “is about as sure a bet as you can have … that he will be confirmed.” Va.) announced he would oppose the Office of Management and TANDEN on Page 12 Budget is in trouble.

Garland cruises through Democrats plot their Plan B confirmation hearing to save minimum wage hike BY CAITLIN EMMA mum wage boost they’ve added to Republicans nudged AG candidate to commit to allowing federal AND AARON LORENZO the next tranche of coronavirus re- Democrats are scrambling to lief. The wage increase is also run- prosecutors to press on with politically sensitive investigations piece together a backup plan that ning into strong headwinds from could save their minimum wage two influential Senate Democratic BY MARIANNE LeVINE on Monday. of Biden’s son Hunter. hike from getting tossed out of centrists, Joe Manchin of West AND JOSH GERSTEIN Republicans did use the oppor- But beyond vowing that poli- President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion Virginia and of President Joe Biden’s pick to tunity to gingerly push Garland to tics would play no role in his deci- relief package and win over moder- , who are both resistant lead the Justice Department, commit to allowing federal pros- sions, Garland made few prom- ates wary of the proposal. to enacting the sweeping policy D.C. Circuit Judge Merrick Gar- ecutors to press on with politi- ises. Despite that, there was little The budget tool that Democrats change through the powerful bud- land, appears to be coasting to- cally sensitive investigations into acrimony and many Democrats are using to steer Biden’s plan get process. ward an easy confirmation after the Department of Justice probe and Republicans on the panel ap- through Congress without GOP The White House and Demo- a relatively low-key outing before of ’s ties to Rus- peared to treat his confirmation support, known as reconciliation, cratic leaders have been waiting the Senate Judiciary Committee sia and into the business affairs GARLAND on Page 11 is laden with thorny restrictions to see how the Senate’s parlia- waiting to ensnare the $15 mini- MINIMUM WAGE on Page 13 2 | POLITICO | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2021

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