Update 549 — See You in September:State of Play as Lengthy Recess Begins The August recess is more of a misnomer this year than usual. Formal action, committee consideration, and votes won’t occur, but negotiations and conversations will continue behind the scenes, with the possibility of material progress. On Congress’ extensive to-do list after the …
Update 544 — Cart and Horse:SOP on Bipartisan, Budget Deals After two-weeks off, both Congressional chambers are back in session, with two-track negotiations on big-ticket infrastructure bills topping the agenda. Eleven legislative days remain in the House and 17 in the Senate before recesses are slated to start. Democratic leadership has its sights on passing both a …
Update 541 — Paying for Infrastructure:The Financing Options and the Recovery Last week, President Biden and a bipartisan group of Senators struck a deal on a $579 billion infrastructure package. Democrats also seek to pass a second bill worth trillions in additional spending. But unclear is how to pay for it — through taxes that …
Update 540 — Bipartisan Deal on the Table:What’s in It; What’s Left for Reconciliation? After weeks of intermittent talks and progress, the administration and a bipartisan group of 21 senators struck a deal yesterday on a large long-term investment in traditional domestic infrastructure. The $1.2 trillion package comprises just $579 billion in new spending, with …
Update 531 — Infrastructure Pay-Fors:Financing Options and Considerations Congress has been grappling this week with the question of how to fund President Biden’s two-part $4.5 trillion infrastructure plan. The conversation in hearings on the Hill has largely focused on paying for the package with new or higher taxes, which runs counter to the goal of …
Update 519–916,000 Jobs Added in March;Can Recovery Act to Sustain Gains Pass? The US added 916,000 jobs in March, double the number in February — a robust start to what we hope will be a durable recovery. The nation is still 8.4 million jobs short of pre-pandemic levels. In 1937 most famously, in the midst …
Update 517: Coming Soon, a Project Near YouBiden $3Tr. Infrastructure Plan Out Next Week Upon taking office, President Biden proposed a $1.9 trillion rescue package, and just 46 days after his inauguration, Congress sent him the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion package. So reports in recent days from the White House that Biden will …
Update 515: Bills Beyond Relief:Paying For the Road to Recovery Now that President Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief bill, the American Rescue Plan (ARP), has officially been signed into law and almost entirely deficit-financed, focus is shifting to a new multi-trillion dollar package centered on infrastructure: The Recovery Act. Some are calling for revenue offsets to …
Update 483: Plans for InfrastructureAfter Years of Trump’s Inept Disrupture Tomorrow night, President Donald Trump and Vice President Joe Biden face off in the last presidential debate of 2020. If you were tempted to press mute during the first debate, someone will do that for you tomorrow. It’s one last chance for Trump to explain …
Update 312: Economic Policy Implications of the Midterms and the 116th Congress The result of last week’s midterms will have important ramifications for economic policy during the 116th Congress. Democrats have taken the majority in the House and will take majority control of key committees setting the legislative agenda. More than 100 women were projected …
Economic Policy Implications of the Midterms (November 13) Read More »
