Update 589 —SOTU Too Much?Unity in Wars vs. Putin, Inflation In this historical moment, the State of the Union speech would ideally convince Americans that the pain of price hikes at the pump, due to Putin’s brutal invasion, is a small price for seeking to defeat him – certainly compared to the sacrifices Europeans and the …
Update 587 — Shutdown Averted for 21 DaysLong Live FY 21 Amid Continuing Irresolution Last night, the Senate voted to approve a short-term spending bill to fund the government through March 11, which the House passed last week. This is the fourth time Congress has passed a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government open since the …
Update 585 – Sea Change at the Fed? Smooth Sailing for Slate of Nominees Everything from the cost of living to the cost of capital depends on the membership of the Federal Reserve Board. Dr. Lisa Cook, Sarah Bloom Raskin, and Dr. Phillip Jefferson — nominated by the President to fill out the vacancies on …
Update 583 — GDP up 6.9% in 4Q21:USICA Way to Maintain that Growth? An economy growing at 6.9 percent, annualized, in the final quarter of 2021. National unemployment is below four percent. Wages soaring. Labor mobility is like never before. All of this defies expectations, yielding, dare we say an unprecedented recovery so far. It’s no accident, …
Update 581 — The Fight to Vote, 2022:Whither the Defense of Democracy? The one-year anniversary party for the Biden presidency was crashed by last night’s Senate showdown, ending in failed attempts to pass voting rights legislation and to reform the Senate filibuster rule. Indeed, that failure, said to be impossible, dooms more than just the Freedom to Vote: …
Update 580 — Enough Sinema Verite:Rays of Hope in the Economic Picture Senators Manchin and Sinema doubled down yesterday on their opposition to Senate filibuster reform and in essence, the critical voting rights package adopted by the House yesterday, which needs a reform of the Senate filibuster rule’s 60-vote threshold to pass. You might be …
Update 577 — That a Byrd up in the Sky?Parliamentarian to Say What Flies or Dies Yesterday, the Senate Parliamentarian denied Senate Democrats’ most recent attempt to include immigration reform in Build Back Better via the Byrd Rule. In fairness, half of the current Senate will be disappointed with any Parliamentarian’s decision. Nevertheless, she will persist, applying the Byrd …
Update 576 — Restoration and Reform:Battles Ahead for American Democracy President Biden’s Summit for Democracy last week was a cause for introspection: is the United States perfecting, protecting, or peeling back democratic rights? Republican-controlled states, particularly swing states like Georgia and Arizona, continue to adopt laws suppressing the vote. Congress has yet to pass federal voting legislation. …
Update 572 — December’s Disposition:What Will Get Done, What Might Wait? The dread month of December is now upon us. Congress faces a fuller slate of priorities prior to adjournment than the usual madcap year-end. But delay invites difficulty. Now Congress is poised to dispose of three critical policy issues bearing on the economy and, therefore, next …
Update 571 — Thanksgiving Props:People, Policies to Be Grateful For This past year has brought a tableful of major policy successes, served with significant delays and some disappointments. For progressives, the return of full Democratic government control in January offered a promising menu for 2021, as the country sought to move past the Trump presidency. The prospect …
