Congress is currently considering the Build Back Better Act, the third major spending proposal of Joe Biden’s presidency following the American Rescue Plan Act and the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Initially intended to include about $3.5 trillion in new spending, the size of the package has been reduced — but it would still …
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed the Senate 69-30 in August and passed the House 228-206 on November 5. It’s one of the most consequential pieces of bipartisan legislation in years, and passed thanks to 13 House Republicans providing enough “yes” votes to offset six House Democrats who voted no. Even though bipartisanship has …
The House version of the Build Back Better Act contains many provisions that have been covered in detail. But within its 2,468 pages are some significant programs and tax credits that have been less discussed. Here are five of them. The bill would provide $35 billion to cover hearing care under Medicare. This provision remains …
There has been considerable coverage of efforts by President Biden and congressional Democrats to enact Biden’s “Build Back Better” agenda through the budget reconciliation process, but little about what reconciliation actually is. Here are five facts on budget reconciliation. The budget reconciliation process was created by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Reconciliation grew out …
President Biden traveled to Scranton this week to highlight the need for immediate upgrades to the nation’s infrastructure. The state where the President was born offers a fair representation of the state of U.S. infrastructure, and how the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would help. In Pennsylvania, there are 3,353 bridges and more than …
Five Facts on Infrastructure in Pennsylvania and the Nation Read More »
President Biden’s push to pass his “Build Back Better” agenda through two major pieces of legislation — the bipartisan infrastructure bill, and the social spending and climate bill currently being considered through the reconciliation budget process — has drawn comparisons to the “Great Society” programs enacted under President Lyndon Johnson 60 years ago. But while …
Congress has once again run up against a deadline to boost the federal debt limit, a legal restriction on how much the U.S. government can owe to creditors. A failure to raise the limit to accommodate for current expenditures could result in the U.S. government going into default. Here are five facts on the federal …
Childcare is a key item of discussion in Washington lately, and many policymakers are wondering how the availability of it may be impacting women’s workforce participation. Here are five facts on women in the workforce in America: In 2019, the U.S. ranked 71st in the world in women’s workforce participation. That year, 57% of U.S. …
The Democratic social spending and climate reconciliation bill being advanced on Capitol Hill includes funding to provide universal community college tuition funding for two years. Who goes to community colleges, how do they currently pay for it, and what is the value of their degrees? Here are five facts on community college in America. No …
Since 2018, more than 50 severe weather events have caused losses exceeding $1 billion. In 2020 alone, there were 22 such disasters. The infrastructure bill includes $1 billion for a FEMA program that helps communities take action to prepare for extreme weather before it strikes. 2. Severe weather events resulted in 262 deaths in 2020. …
