2020 Presidential Candidate Series — Sen. Klobuchar

Update 376: 2020 Presidential Cand. Series:Economic Agenda of Senator Amy Klobuchar Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is a three-term U.S. Senator with an extensive legislative portfolio, setting her apart from the many 2020 candidates scant on policy.  Her overriding economic theme, “Heartland Economics,” features a trillion dollar infrastructure plan that goes beyond just the Midwest. It is …

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Multiemployer Pension Bill and Its Prospects

Update 374: Worker Retirement Security:Multiemployer Pension Bill and Its Prospects The legislative prospects for any big-ticket economic policy bill that is not “must-pass” (such as a budget) clearing Congress and getting signed by the White House seem remote right now.  But on July 24, the Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act, H.R. 397, passed the House in a …

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2020 Presidential Candidate Series — Julián Castro

Update 373: 2020 Presidential Cand. Series:The Economic Agenda of Julián Castro Julián Castro is one of the younger presidential candidates running for the 2020 Democratic nomination.  A former cabinet official under President Obama and mayor of San Antonio, Castro’s experience belies his 44 years.  He is considered a rising star in some Democratic Party circles and …

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Student Loan Debt Bill in Sight?

Update 372: Student Loan Debt Bill in Sight?Another Academic Year, Contact the Cashier The $1.6 trillion owed by tens of millions of students and their parents in total education loans outstanding ramifies throughout the economy.  Already it means younger people aren’t getting married, entering the job market, starting businesses, saving for retirement as quickly or as …

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Ends Meet in Budget Agreement

Update 371: Ends Meet in Budget Agreement;Further Fiscal Hostilities Postponed ‘til 2021 Like a thunderclap on a sunny day, a budget agreement has appeared almost from nowhere to remove us from threat of a government shutdown or sovereign default this fall.  A compromise between the House and the White House, the deal bears signal progressive …

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Powell Pivots to a Rate Cut

Update 370 — Powell Pivots to a Rate Cut;25 bps (Bonus Points) for Capital Markets The old joke is that the Fed is there to pull the punchbowl away before the party ends in mayhem and tears.  This afternoon, the Fed re-filled the punchbowl and announced, if you can drink, please do. The first Fed …

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2020 Presidential Candidate Series — Sen. Gillibrand

Update 369 — 2020 Presidential Cand. Series; Economic Agenda of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand This month has featured three economic policy surprises — a sudden budget agreement between the president and Speaker Pelosi, a monetary course reversal by the Fed, and a drop in GDP growth from 3.1 the first quarter of 2019 to 2.1 in …

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Midsummer’s Budget Stunner

Update 368 — Midsummer’s Budget Stunner;Niche of Living Dead/Tax Extenders Near You A deal to fund the government and raise the debt ceiling is in sight. The Pelosi/Mnuchin agreement will raise fiscal year 2020 spending caps for defense and non defense discretionary, about $320 billion total. From here, appropriators have until September 30 to draft, …

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Condition of the Labor Market

Update 367 — Condition of the Labor Market:Minimum Wage, Other Workers Due a Raise Tomorrow morning, the U.S. House will vote on the first increase in the federal minimum wage since 2009.  During that time, inflation has increased by 20 percent, an increase workers haven’t seen a penny of — in terms of wages.   Conventional economic wisdom …

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