Newsletter Archive

December 2021

GOP Senators Threaten a Shutdown

Taking a big step to avoid a looming government shutdown, congressional leaders on Thursday announced that they had reached an agreement on a stopgap bill that would fund a variety of federal operations through mid-February. The House…

Plus: Plus - Biden unveils a new Covid plan

Government Shutdown Suddenly Looking More Likely

The odds of a brief government shutdown rose sharply Wednesday after a group of Republican lawmakers who oppose a Covid-19 vaccine mandate threatened to delay a stopgap funding bill.

Plus: Plus, your Wednesday news roundup

November 2021

Congress Faces Daunting December Deadlines

As Congress returns from its Thanksgiving break this week, Democratic lawmakers face a daunting to-do list that includes avoiding a government shutdown at the end of the week, advancing President Joe Biden’s economic agenda and raising the…

Plus: Plus, Biden preps plan to battle omicron

Biden Takes Aim at High Gas Prices

With energy prices hitting multiyear highs ahead of the holiday season, President Joe Biden on Tuesday ordered the release of a record 50 million barrels of oil from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Plus: Plus, the politics of Dems’ new insulin price cap

Biden Bets Big on Powell for Another Term as Fed Chair

With the U.S. economy still suffering from the lingering effects of the recession caused by the Covid-19 pandemic as well as a surge in inflation that has accompanied the reopening of businesses across the country, President Joe Biden on…

Plus: Plus, state spending surges

A Big Win for Biden and Pelosi

President Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats took a big step toward enacting their economic agenda on Friday morning as the House narrowly approved the $1.7 trillion Build Back Better Act, the party’s sweeping package of climate, education…

Plus: Plus, what's in the $1.7 trillion spending bill

Dems' Spending Bill Will Add to Deficit, CBO Says

The Congressional Budget Office on Thursday estimated that, despite promises from President Joe Biden and others in his party that their Build Back Better plan would be fully paid for, the legislation would add about $160 billion to budget…

Plus: Plus, the incredible shrinking estate tax

Biden Plan Won't Boost Inflation, Analysts Say

Democrats are still planning — or hoping – to get a House vote on their Build Back Better plan by the end of day Friday. And as the clock ticks toward a December 3 deadline to extend funding for the federal government and avoid a shutdown,…

Plus: Plus, billions for niche programs and special interests

Dems Battle Over Tax Break for the Rich

The latest version of the Build Back Better Act, which the House could vote on a soon as this week, includes a controversial tax break that would overwhelmingly benefit high-income households, though whether it will survive revisions in…

Plus: Plus, the jobs rebound was stronger than we knew

Biden's Spending Plan Faces a Major Snag

Following months of delays and legislative maneuvering, President Joe Biden signed the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill into law Monday, notching a significant political victory amid slumping polls and an uncertain future for…

Plus: Plus, Biden celebrates a bipartisan win

IRS Chief Pleads for More Funding

IRS Commissioner Charles P. Rettig wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post this week containing a simple request: We need more money.

Plus: Plus, 4.4 million people just quit their jobs

Biden Plan Would Cut Taxes for Most, New Analysis Finds

The latest version of President Biden’s Build Back Better bill would provide a tax cut on average to most households in 2022 while increasing taxes on the top 1%, according to a new analysis from the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.

Plus: Plus, why the US is fighting with Moderna over its vaccine

Dems’ Bill Would Add $200 Billion to Deficits: Watchdog

The Congressional Budget Office told lawmakers on Tuesday that they’ll have to wait to see the full analysis of the roughly $1.8 trillion Build Back Better bill.

Plus: Plus, the right-wing backlash against 13 GOPers who voted for infrastructure bill

Biden Faces Another Intraparty Revolt

President Joe Biden explicitly called on the House to deliver him two legislative victories today by advancing both a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and a $1.85 trillion package pairing social and environmental programs with…

Plus: Plus, would the Build Back Better bill really cost $4 trillion?

Pelosi Tries to Muscle Through a Vote

As Democrats look to advance President Joe Biden’s stalled economic agenda in the wake of electoral embarrassments this week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is pressing for a vote on the party’s reconciliation package of social spending…

Plus: Plus, the Democratic plan is largely paid for, JCT says

Dems Restore Paid Leave — and a Big Tax Break for the Rich

The reckoning has begun. After suffering an Election Day drubbing on Tuesday — most notably with a loss in the bellwether Virginia gubernatorial race and a closer-than-expected gubernatorial contest in New Jersey — Democrats on Wednesday…

Plus: Plus, the Fed eases up on the gas