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As congressional leaders prepare for their 3 p.m. meeting with President JOE BIDEN to negotiate on a deal to avert defaulting on the nation’s debt, Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY laid out his latest demand.

McCarthy told reporters that a debt limit deal must include new work requirements for some federal assistance programs, saying that the issue is a “red line” for him, per ABC’s Rachel Scott. McCarthy has previously proposed raising the age limit for work requirements for so-called “able-bodied adults without dependents” who receive SNAP benefits.

But it’s a bit unclear if McCarthy even has the full backing of his own conference on this one. In recent months, some Republicans in competitive seats have expressed reluctance to go there on work requirements.

• Rep. BRIAN FITZPATRICK (R-Pa.) to HuffPost on April 27: “I think the bottom line is they’re not going to be in the final product.”

• Rep. MARC MOLINARO (R-N.Y.) to NYT on April 6: “Those who are most vulnerable have to be protected. … We’ve always had work requirements. I’m going to focus my time on convincing my colleagues to focus on fraud, waste and abuse,” where “there’s a lot of savings to be had.”

• Rep. MIKE GARCIA (R-Calif.) in POLITICO on April 19: “I don’t think that’s an appropriate conversation for this debt ceiling conversation at this point.”

• Rep. DON BACON (R-Neb.) suggested to our colleague Meredith Lee Hill that he would prefer to leave the work requirements debate for the upcoming farm bill negotiations.

It all adds up to the same math that has been staring McCarthy in the face since negotiations began: He cannot afford more than a handful of defections in the final vote, and this is a politically thorny issue for vulnerable lawmakers back home.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Meanwhile, dozens of clean energy companies are sending a letter to Biden, McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER, Senate Minority Leader MITCH McCONNELL and House Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES, railing against House Republicans’ budget proposal and calling on the leaders to “reject efforts to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act and end the threats to our businesses and hundreds of thousands of American clean energy jobs.” Read the letter

SO MUCH FOR THAT MIGRANT ‘SURGE’ — “Number of migrants fell 50% at U.S. southern border after immigration changes,” by AP’s Rebecca Santana … “After Biden Predicted Chaos at the Border, a Quieter Than Expected Weekend,” by NYT’s Michael Shear

ELECTION DAY LINKS — Voters are going to the polls today in a trio of states that offer the latest signs for the electorate’s mood and preferences in the run-up to 2024.

In Kentucky: “Donald Trump is betting on Daniel Cameron,” by Brakkton Booker … Live updates from the Louisville Courier Journal

In Pennsylvania: “Philadelphia Democrats poised to make history in expensive mayoral race,” by CNN’s Gregory Krieg … “A Pennsylvania Supreme Court primary could offer clues about the GOP’s direction in a key presidential battleground,” by CNN’s Fredreka Schouten … Live updates from the Philly Inquirer

In Florida: “Daniel Davis and Donna Deegan go down to wire in Jacksonville mayor race,” by the Florida Times-Union’s David Bauerlein

Good Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line: [email protected].

2024 WATCH

DeSANTIS GEARS UP FOR BATTLE — “DeSantis snaps back at Trump over Florida’s six-week abortion ban,” by Gary Fineout: “Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS on Tuesday took a swipe at DONALD TRUMP over abortion, chiding the GOP presidential frontrunner for failing to take a stance on what type of abortion restrictions he would be willing to support.”

Meanwhile, DeSantis’ would-be campaign picked up support from a number of state legislators — with a notable asterisk.

Fifty-one New Hampshire legislators threw their support behind DeSantis, according to Never Back Down, the super PAC supporting his run, NBC’s Dasha Burns and Jonathan Allen report. Among those 51 were four who endorsed Trump mere weeks ago. And while the PAC touted these endorsements as flips from Trump’s camp, when contacted by NBC, one of the endorsers sounded like she’s trying to toe the line between the two, at least for now.

“I’m endorsing both,” said state Rep. JULIET HARVEY-BOLIA. “DeSantis has a lot of promise for the future, and Trump is great now.”

Back in Tallahassee, DeSantis locked up the support of Florida’s top two GOP state legislators, NBC’s Matt Dixon reports. Florida House Speaker PAUL RENNER and Florida Senate President KATHLEEN PASSIDOMO publicly announced their support for his run — moves that are “expected to serve as the starting gun for a wave of endorsements from rank-and-file Florida Republican lawmakers.”

CONGRESS

AI ON THE BRAIN — OpenAI CEO SAM ALTMAN testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning on the risks of artificial intelligence and the need for legislative safeguards. As the hearing began, Sen. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-Conn.) played an AI-generated voice recording of his opening remarks, which were drafted using ChatGPT.

THE NEW GOP — Kevin McCarthy is under increasing pressure from his right flank to kick off impeachment proceedings against DHS Secretary ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, CNN’s Annie Grayer, Melanie Zanona and Haley Talbot report — “putting the speaker in a bind as he tries to show they’re taking aggressive action on the border without alienating the party’s moderate, so-called majority makers.”

Signs of the growing furor: Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) met with McCarthy on Monday to discuss the strategy, CNN details, while Majority Whip TOM EMMER (R-Minn.) recently made a public call for impeachment and there is an “understanding” for Rep. JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio) that impeachment is “inevitable.”

“But despite growing pressure across the conference, McCarthy has privately told members he wants more time for committees to hold hearings on the subject before they move on impeachment articles — a sign the full Republican Conference is not yet sold on the politically dicey prospect of impeachment.”

THE WHITE HOUSE

PREPARING FOR TAKEOFF — “Biden launches Asia trip this week aimed at taking on China,” by WaPo’s Matt Viser and Tyler Pager: “Biden is traveling to Australia and Papua New Guinea as well as Japan on the seven-day excursion, which is also aimed at bolstering support for Ukraine, combating climate change and tackling global inflation. But more than any other issue, the trip is meant to counter China, a global superpower that will not be at the meetings but will be very much top of mind.”

MORE POLITICS

ROLLINS IN THE DEEP — WILL ROLLINS, a Democratic congressional hopeful from Palm Springs, is relaunching his campaign to unseat Rep. KEN CALVERT (R-Calif.), framing his run as an antidote to Trumpism, our colleague Christopher Cadelago reports. “The first and foremost urgent threat that I see in this coming election is again to democracy and the rule of law,” Rollins, a former federal prosecutor, said in announcing his 2024 run Tuesday. “If Trump is the nominee, and we’ve got a House of Representatives that is unwilling to certify the results of a democratic election, everything America stands for collapses.”

THE DEBT LIMIT

THINKING THE UNTHINKABLE — “Default Fears Rattle Main Street Investors,” by WSJ’s Matt Grossman: “For individual investors, the prospect of a default undercuts the central appeal of Treasury debt, which is widely viewed as one of the most reliable of all assets. Financial textbooks treat a U.S. default as practically unthinkable.”

POLICY CORNER

IT’S ELECTRIC — “Biden administration announces nearly $11 billion for renewable energy in rural communities,” by AP’s Drew Costley: “Rural electric cooperatives, renewable energy companies and electric utilities will be able to apply for funding through two programs, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary TOM VILSACK said.”

AFTERNOON READ — “Why Undocumented Immigrants Struggle to Receive Organ Transplants,” BY NYT’S Joseph Goldstein

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

HOW WE GOT HERE — NYT’s Maggie Astor digs into the influences that have shaped how conservative lawmakers across the country are fighting against gender transition care, elevating the voices of a small group of “people who transitioned and then changed course.” “Lawmakers have used these accounts to override objections from all major medical associations, which oppose bans on transition care, as well as testimony from the far larger number of transgender people who say transitioning improved their mental health.”

ABORTION FALLOUT — “Abortion laws triggered dozens of health complications, new report says,” by WaPo’s Caroline Kitchener: “While no nationwide data has yet emerged to show the extent of these complications, the report, being released Tuesday by researchers at the University of California San Francisco and shared with The Washington Post, offers a first-of-its-kind summary of anonymized examples from medical providers across the country.” Read the report

In the states:

• “Republican abortion debate inches toward resolution in South Carolina,” by AP’s James Pollard
• “Nebraska lawmakers to debate attaching 12-week abortion ban to trans youth health care ban,” by AP’s Margery Beck

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS — “Move over, U.S. dollar. China wants to make the yuan the global currency,” by WaPo’s Meaghan Tobin, Lyric Li and David Feliba … “Can the World Make an Electric Car Battery Without China?” by NYT’s Agnes Chang and Keith Bradsher

SPY GAMES — “CIA urges Russians to share secrets with America in new video campaign,” by NBC’s Dan De Luce and Yuliya Talmazan

PLAYBOOKERS

MEDIA MOVE — Jack Gillum is now a reporter at WSJ, where he’ll focus on data-driven reporting. He previously was a technology reporter at Bloomberg News.

WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Charlie Anderson is now executive VP for infrastructure at Arnold Ventures. He most recently was special assistant to the president for economic policy at the White House National Economic Council.

— Nahid Bhadelia has returned to Boston University to lead the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy and Research. She previously was senior policy adviser for the White House Covid-19 response team.

TRANSITION — Merav Ceren is now deputy policy director for the Senate Commerce Committee. She most recently was senior professional staff member for the House Oversight Committee.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Brigid Richelieu, senior comms manager at the Financial Services Forum, and Adam Richelieu, senior salary cap and contract manager at the NFL Players Association, welcomed Charlie Richelieu on May 10. Pic

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