Mar. 9, 2023: Biden lays budget bait for Republicans
It\u2019s the day all of D.C. has been waiting for with bated breath. Around noon, President Joe Biden will release his proposed federal budget.\nNo one in the White House seriously believes that Congress will adopt it in its current form. In private, administration officials readily admit that they know it\u2019s not going anywhere.\xa0\nSo why does it matter? Beyond the obvious implications for governing, we\u2019re told it\u2019ll constitute the crux of Biden\u2019s pitch as he\u2019s expected to launch his reelection campaign in the near future. (We\u2019re sure it\u2019s purely coincidental that he\u2019ll be unveiling the budget in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania.)\nIt\u2019s a messaging exercise. And as such, the White House sees no downside whatsoever to throwing out things that will never pass the Republican-controlled House. The fight is the point.\nSubscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter\nRaghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.