Update 500 – “Let’s End this Uncivil War”… Starting with Presidential Nominations Yesterday, Joe Biden’s swearing-in as the 46th President of the United States, and surrounding pomp and circumstance without incident, inspired a national sigh of relief for millions. Biden’s inaugural address called for national unity among Americans red and blue, rural and urban, and …
Update 499 – Biden’s $1.9 Tr. Rescue Plan:Sound in Scope and Scale, but Ambitious Last night, President-Elect Joe Biden announced the details of his $1.9 trillion ‘American Rescue Plan’ — an appropriately constructed and comprehensive rescue package designed to meet the needs of the moment and launch a robust recovery. An ambitious plan, it will …
Update 498 – Amid Heated Debate on TrumpEconomy, Jobs, Wages Stuck in Deep Freeze After the fatal occupation of the Capitol last week, the nation’s attention is squarely focused on the state of our democracy and approaching transfer of power. For the first time in our history, the House is poised to impeach the President …
Update 497 – GA Delivers Senate to Ds:The Meaning of the Majority in the 117th After the dust settles on the inchoate, dog-catches-bus occupation of the U.S. Capitol by a ragtag set of disparate malcontents turned vandals on Wednesday, a propitious moment in American political history the day before may ultimately carry far greater political …
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 5, 2021 Systematic attempts this past year to delegitimize democratic practice frustrate the promise of democracy and underscore the immense importance of comprehensive democracy reforms. H.R. 1, the For the People Act, proposes the furthest-reaching political reforms since Watergate. It offers solutions to pressing problems in our democracy, such as expanding …
Update 496 – 2020’s Unfinished Business:Congress to Provide Interim Relief, Finally Nine months after the last Covid relief bill passed, with the epidemic spiking and the economic recovery stagnating, Congress is facing pleas to act from all sides. Today, the $900 billion compromise relief package and the $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill are the two …
Update 495 — Countdown to Shutdown:State of Budget Talks as the Clock Tocks Developments this afternoon put the question to the President. With hundreds of thousands of new COVID cases a day, the nation has seen a sharp reversal in macroeconomic circumstances (see initial jobless claims). This doesn’t seem the time to shut down the …
Update 494 — $908 Bn. COVID Talks Stuck:McConnell Eyes State/Local Aid, Sees Blue The promising progress in negotiations on a compromise COVID relief bill has hit a predictable but ironic snag. In a reversal of GOP Federalism 101, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell supports federal COVID assistance but not state and local aid for the …
Update 493 — $908 Bn. Relief Bill Seen:A Starting Point Bill Then, Dark Winter? COVID relief before the end of the year suddenly seems like a possibility. Prospects for a $908 billion bipartisan package — a starting point relief bill before the winter blow — have shot up, as have Corona cases since Thanksgiving. Although …
Update 492 — Biden’s Economic NomineesSkilled, Diverse, Facing Confirmation Fights On Monday, President-elect Biden announced further nominations to comprise his cabinet and closest group of economic advisors. Biden’s intent to gather a progressive coalition, perhaps the most diverse in history, is manifest. Following last week’s selection of Janet Yellen as Treasury Secretary — a position …
