| President Biden waited until he could take stock of achievements before delivering his first address to Congress tonight. The pandemic is not over, made clear by the trimmed invitation list for what used to be a packed setting for any joint congressional gathering (pictured above). Biden’s audience for the 9 p.m. speech seated in the House chamber will heed COVID-19 precautions such as social distancing and mask wearing (The Hill). Biden, flanked by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Vice President Harris, will remind listeners that in a span of 100 days, the U.S. distribution and administration of vaccines saved lives, helped the elderly hug their loved ones again, put millions of students in classrooms along with help from governors and mayors, and made it possible for families to recover some financial equilibrium with direct payments from Uncle Sam. Next up on the president’s to-do list: enactment of a $2.3 trillion infrastructure and green jobs plan in the next few months, and progress this year on a separate proposal that Biden calls the American Families Plan. White House fact sheet for the plan is HERE. The Hill: Here’s what’s in the American Families Plan. The American Families’ Plan would cost about $1.5 trillion, offset by half a dozen proposed tax hikes on high-income Americans and investors, according to early reports and White House information. Biden wants Congress to approve federal funding for national child care to cap family expenditures to 7 percent of income, $200 billion for universal prekindergarten for two- and three-year-olds, paid family leave and $109 billion for two years of tuition-free community college, among other domestic priorities, as part of a Democratic vision of a more prosperous, competitive and innovative America. The president’s plan also proposes investing $225 billion over a decade for “comprehensive” paid family and medical leave with partial wage replacement, rising to a guaranteed 12 weeks by the end of an envisioned 10-year phase-in. Biden backs the Healthy Families Act, which would allow all workers to accrue at least seven days of paid sick leave per year. The president will call for “tax reform that rewards work and not wealth,” raising about $1.5 billion over 10 years from high-income individuals to pay for spending and tax breaks to benefit lower-income and middle-class families. “All of the investments would be fully paid for over the next 15 years,” the White House says. Axios reported on Tuesday that Biden would seek to offset the package rather than look to deficit spending, which occurred with the COVID-19 relief law. The president’s overall vision polls well among majorities of Americans but guarantees pitched battles ahead in Congress. To claim the infrastructure and families plans are offset, the White House will count increased revenue over a 15-year window to pay for the $4 trillion in spending, most of which would occur over eight years, Axios reported. Biden’s proposed tax increases include raising the top income tax rate to 39.6 percent from 37 percent enacted in 2017, applied to the top 1 percent of wealthy filers; treating capital gains on investments as regular income for those earning more than $1 million; and eliminating the inheritance tax “loophole” that allows the practice of “stepping-up” the basis for gains in excess of $1 million ($2.5 million per couple when combined with existing real estate exemptions) and making sure the gains are taxed if the property is not donated to charity, according to the White House. Taking aim at hedge fund partners, Biden also wants to treat carried interest as ordinary income to remove what he calls a “loophole” in the law. The Hill: Provisions of the American Families Plan, including proposals left out of the blueprint, challenge Biden’s ties with progressives in Congress. Amie Parnes and Alexander Bolton, The Hill: Biden’s job approval is above 50 percent, but his major initiatives have thus far been largely rejected by Republicans in Congress, defying his vow of bipartisanship. Does it matter? It matters to the president, says William Galston, who served in the White House under former President Clinton. “It turns out that as of now, the partisan divisions under Biden are more pronounced than they have ever been,” he says. The Hill’s Scott Wong and Mike Lillis, who cover the House beat, outline five things the president aims to do in his remarks: encourage people to get COVID-19 vaccinations to get back to normal, improve support in both parties for a compromise infrastructure bill, describe how his administration is juggling a border crisis and immigration policy, use the bully pulpit to support racial justice, and explain how his administration’s policies reduce security risks posed by China and Russia. The Hill: Biden on Tuesday moved to nominate Ed Gonzalez, a Houston-area sheriff, to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Hill: Biden is testing his clout with corporate America with his calls for higher taxes on major corporations and wealthy individuals. The president will travel to Atlanta on Thursday to emphasize key messages and keep them in the headlines. Harris and members of the Cabinet will do the same (The Hill). Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.), will deliver the Republican response to the president’s address tonight. As The Hill’s Niall Stanage reports, it is a high-profile and often humbling assignment. Scott is the sole Black GOP senator and just the second Black Republican elected since Reconstruction. The other was Sen. Edward Brooke (R-Mass.), who left office more than 40 years ago. Scott is credited with understanding issues of race and working across the aisle and appears on Washington’s “talked-about” list of possible 2024 contenders. Politico: There will be no designated survivor for Biden’s first joint address to Congress because the coronavirus means many Cabinet officials will not be present. Fox News: Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on John Kerry, Biden’s climate envoy and former secretary of state, to explain alleged past information-sharing with Iran’s foreign minister about Israeli operations in Syria. Kerry has denied allegations drawn from leaked Iran tapes (The Hill). “This never happened - either when I was Secretary of State or since,” Kerry tweeted on Monday. 
© Getty Images More in Congress: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) suggested that any immigration reform deal with Republicans would have to address the U.S. southern border (The Hill). … The Hill’s Jordain Carney chronicles a narrowly Democratic Senate that is trying to shake off a reputation as a legislative graveyard. … Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, a member of the GOP leadership, on Tuesday called for an investigation of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s financial ties to a company that makes electric buses, batteries and chargers (The Hill). Barrasso voted against the nomination to the Biden Cabinet of the former Michigan governor. … Arizona progressives are doing everything they can think of to convince Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) to shelve her support for keeping the Senate filibuster (The Hill). … House Democrats are concerned they could be down a seat for many more months than expected as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) intends to leave the seat held by the late Rep. Alcee Hastings (D) vacant for the foreseeable future. As The Hill’s Max Greenwood notes, Florida law gives the governor broad authority to set a date for the special election to replace him, but DeSantis has been mum about his intentions. With a 218-212 margin, Pelosi has little room for error to pass bills along party lines. 
© Getty Images | 
No comments:
Post a Comment