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Medicare For All ‘Merely A Talking Point,’ Partnership Exec Says

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Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is a big proponent of expanding Medicare.

Lauren Crawford Shaver, executive director of the Partnership for America’s Health Care Future, said she believes it is less likely that an expansion of government-run health care will happen this year, given the focus on pandemic relief in Washington.

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Democrats on Tuesday brushed aside Republicans’ concerns about overheating the economy with the Biden administration’ s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, as Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell signaled that the central bank won’ t pull back anytime soon on its own aggressive actions to aid the recovery.

—President Joe Biden's Cabinet is starting to fill out, with nominees for agriculture secretary and United Nations ambassador gaining Senate approval Tuesday. But one of Biden's nominees, Neera Tanden to lead the White House Office of Management and Budget, is clearly in trouble in the evenly divided Senate. The Senate voted 78-20 to approve career diplomat…

By the end of March, Pfizer and Moderna expect to have provided the U.S. government with a total of 220 million vaccine doses, up from the roughly 75 million shipped so far. “We do believe we're on track,” Moderna President Stephen Hoge said, outlining ways the company has ramped up production.“ We think we're at a very good spot.”. Looking ahead to summer, Pfizer and Moderna…

Money from the American Rescue Plan will go toward the national vaccination program by setting up community vaccination sites, help reopen schools, fund testing programs, and provide aid to state and local governments. The House of Representatives Budget Committee on Monday marked up the plan and advanced it on a 19-16 vote.

BY ZEKE M ILLER The Associated Press. WASHINGTON- President Joe Biden announced changes Monday to target more federal pandemic assistance to the nation's smallest businesses and ventures owned by women and people of color. Biden's team also is carving out $1 billion to direct toward sole proprietors, such as home contractors and beauticians, the majority of…

—Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden’ s nominee for attorney general, will appear for his confirmation hearing vowing to prioritize civil rights, combat extremist attacks and ensure the Justice Department remains politically independent. Garland, a federal appeals court judge who was snubbed by Republicans for a seat on the Supreme Court in 2016, will…

—President Joe Biden is targeting federal pandemic assistance to the nation’s smallest businesses and taking steps to further equity in what is known as the Paycheck Protection Program. Biden’s team is also carving out $1 billion to direct toward sole proprietors, such as home contractors and beauticians.

The Federal Reserve says there’s evidence that hiring has picked up in recent weeks, though the job market remains badly damaged by the pandemic. The Fed has constructed its own measurement of hiring using the ADP data, and said that gauge has closely matched the government’s monthly jobs reports throughout the pandemic.

Now, the once-snubbed Supreme Court pick will finally come before the Senate, this time as President Joe Biden's choice for attorney general. “Judge Garland’ s extensive legal experience makes him well-suited to lead the Department of Justice, and I appreciated his commitment to keep politics out of the Justice Department,” Sen. John Cornyn, R- Texas, said in a…

—At the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, two Democratic governors on opposite ends of the country were hailed as heroes for their leadership in a crisis. Andrew Cuomo of New York and Gavin Newsom of California are embroiled in distinct political woes. “We've had too many mission accomplished moments,” said Rebecca Katz, a New York City- based Democratic…

After threats of a snow storm derailed earlier plans, President Joe Biden is now set to visit a Pfizer production facility in Portage today. Biden's first trip to Michigan after wining the presidency is a sign at how important the COVID-19 vaccine is for the country and his agenda. Biden continues to call on Congress to pass his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 plan that…

Congress is grappling with the details, some of which certainly could be improved. “This would not be overheating; it would be starting a fire,” tweeted Olivier Blanchard, formerly the chief economist of the International Monetary Fund. Lawrence Summers, a senior figure in each of the previous two Democratic administrations, warned in The Washington Post of “…

President Biden’ s arrival in the White House has brought optimistic predictions that U.S. relations with Europe are about to get a major positive overhaul, but a slate of thorny issues that divided the two sides during the Trump years isn’ t going away. Germany’ s deal with Russia on the Nord Stream 2 oil pipeline, American unease over a newly inked EU-Chinese…

Biden's comments, during a CNN town hall in Milwaukee, marked his clearest statement yet on school reopenings. He said comments by White House press secretary Jen Psaki earlier this month that one day a week of in-person learning would meet his goal were“ a mistake in the communication.”. The town hall was aimed at selling his $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid package…

—In the still shaken and heavily guarded U.S. Capitol, thousands of National Guard troops still wander the halls. The end of Donald Trump’ s impeachment trial is only the beginning of Congress' reckoning with the Jan. 6 attack, a violent ransacking of the Capitol that resulted in five deaths. “This is not a moment where we pivot and move on,” Connecticut Sen.

“This isn't the same as other financial recessions that were economically driven,” Mr. Mnuchin said on Fox Business Network. Mr. Mnuchin had been asked about President Biden’ s proposal to spend an additional $1.9 trillion on coronavirus relief when much of the already-authorized money had yet to go out the door. Mr. Mnuchin, who ran point for the Trump…
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., wants more stimulus, but faces opposition in the Senate led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

The House Ways and Means Committee— which has jurisdiction over taxes as well as unemployment insurance and other benefits— passed its $940 billion part of the package on a party-line vote Thursday, with all of the panel’s Republicans opposed. Republicans have panned the Democratic proposal as too costly.

Two days after the U.S. Senate voted to acquit former President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial, three-quarters of Republicans say, 75- 21 percent, that they would like to see Trump play a prominent role in the Republican Party, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll of 1,056 adults released today. Democrats say 96- 3 percent and…

President Biden’ s vision for the nation came into clearer focus now that a Democratic-run Washington put impeachment to bed and his administration took center stage with a policy platform touching on issues from taxes and transportation to the economy, energy and immigration. The spotlight and the political arrows that come with it promise a reality check…

That matters because the ability of Democrats to include a wage hike in the budget depends on a ruling by the Senate parliamentarian, which turns in part on whether an issue is budgetary or not. Using the budget allows Democrats to circumvent a GOP filibuster in the Senate. Mr. Sanders, a Vermont independent who serves as Democrats’ chair on the Senate Budget…

“I'm 12 minutes from prime time,” he said, before heading to the well of the U.S. Senate to defend his client, Donald Trump, as one of two defense lawyers in the ex-president's second impeachment trial. Castor's moment in the national glare, televised from the well of the Senate chamber, was seen as an ambling and at times aimless hour-long disquisition in search of a…

His videos, press conferences and calls to Fox News have played on loop. His Twitter account is once again dominating news coverage, his missives read aloud in the Senate chamber. More than three weeks removed from the White House, Donald Trump's voice is again permeating the nation's capital— but not on his terms.

BETHESDA, MD.- President Joe Biden said Thursday that the U.S. will have enough supply of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the summer to inoculate 300 million Americans. He toured the Viral Pathogenesis Laboratory that created the COVID-19 vaccine now manufactured by Moderna and being rolled out in the U.S. and other countries. Biden announced on Thursday that…

The House Democrats, led by lead manager Jamie Raskin, D- Md., spent the second day of former president Donald Trump's impeachment trial displaying violent video scenes of the Jan. 6 attack and the rioters' relentlessly raw language, including chants to “hang” Pence and a sinister clip of a man looking for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking, “Naaaancy?

Roughly 70% of Republicans said in a new poll that they’ d either definitely or“ maybe” join a political party formed by Donald Trump. Yuuge enough to set Republicans in Congress on notice about the political perils of impeachment, at least. And fully 71% said that Republicans in Congress who supported or continue to support the impeachment and conviction of Trump…

All Democrats and six Republicans disagreed, arguing that there is legal precedent for the trial and that there should be no exceptions for impeachable behavior in a president’ s last months in office. While Democrats won Tuesday’ s vote, it also signaled that they will not likely have the votes for an eventual conviction, since they would need a minimum of 17…

Senate Democrats said Tuesday the impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump won't derail their work approving nominees for President Biden's Cabinet and passing COVID-19 relief. The comments pushed back on Republicans' criticism of using the Senate's time to hold an impeachment trial for a president who has already left office.

WASHINGTON- Donald Trump's historic second impeachment trial opened Tuesday with graphic video showing the former president whipping up a rally crowd to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell” against his reelection defeat, followed by images of the deadly attack on Congress that came soon after. While six Republican senators joined the Democrats in…

—A Republican legislative leader in Michigan apologized Tuesday after falsely claiming supporters of President Donald Trump were not involved in the deadly attack at the U.S. Capitol, having called it a“ hoax.”. Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey made the comments last Wednesday while meeting with leaders of the Hillsdale County GOP, according to a video…

SNAP helps stock the cupboards of low-income people. Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images. President Joe Biden has pledged to tackle hunger as part of his administration’ s efforts to alleviate poverty. One way his administration aims to accomplish this goal is by expanding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the country’ s…

Raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour would lift nearly 1 million people out of poverty but would leave even more people without any job at all, the Congressional Budget Office said in a new analysis Monday that deals another blow to President Biden’ s demand for a wage hike in the next coronavirus relief bill.

—The Justice Department will ask U.S. attorneys who were appointed by former President Donald Trump to resign from their posts, as the Biden administration moves to transition to its own nominees, a senior Justice Department official said Monday. But the U.S. attorney overseeing the federal tax probe involving Biden’ s son, Hunter Biden, will remain in place.

The direct payments included in multiple rounds of coronavirus relief last year started phasing out for individuals who make more than $75,000 per year and married couples making more than $150,000 per year. Lawmakers are debating whether that cutoff was appropriate for another round of stimulus.

The Federal Reserve has flooded the economy with money, sending the stock market and Wall Street profits soaring. That’s opened the door to a wild party where crazy things happen, like a dramatic upswing in the stock of GameStop, a dying retailer that sells products in a dying format called video.
Sen. Bernie Sanders and President Joe Biden.

Sanders said he supports an annual-income cutoff of $75,000 for individual earners and $150,000 for couples, not the $50,000 threshold reportedly under consideration by some Democrats reported by The Washington Post.

Roughly 45 Republican Senators and various legal scholars maintain that the Senate’ s authority under Article I, Section 3, of the Constitution to“ try all Impeachments,” does not apply to Trump, now that he is a former president. In any case, the Senate may not try a private citizen. The authority of the Senate to try cases of impeachment represents a“ continuation” of…
Janet Yellen

—Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says there are“ tough months ahead” for the country with COVID-19 continuing to flare, making it critical that Congress pass President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief package. Democrats in Congress have signaled that if GOP support is not forthcoming, they are prepared to pass the measure alone.

The latest batch of orders are light on immediate changes, though White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Biden will have more to share, and shifts will take time. Alejandro Mayorkas, whose nomination as Homeland Security secretary was confirmed Tuesday by the Senate, will lead a task force on family separation, focused largely on reuniting parents and children…

WASHINGTON- President Joe Biden's administration announced Tuesday that it is moving to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines, freeing up more doses for states and beginning to distribute them to retail pharmacies next week. Starting next week, 1 million doses will be distributed to about 6,500 pharmacies across the country, the White House said.

The commentary was written by Kathryn Anne Edwards, an economist at the RAND Corporation and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. President Biden has proposed adding $1,400 to the $600 payments that were delivered in the relief bill signed by President Donald Trump in December. The CARES Act, in March, provided $600 in federal money per week on top of…
President Joe Biden and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, were among a group of lawmakers who met Monday at the White House.

The 10 GOP senators are calling for about $618 billion in federal spending. The aid would come on top of the $900 billion coronavirus package that Congress passed in December and the $2.2 trillion package passed in March. The 10 GOP senators seek $1,000 checks.

There isn’t an easy workaround for tax refunds shriveled by inadequate withholding. But Congress provided a potential fix for the tax credits issue in the $900 billion coronavirus relief legislation passed last month: Filers can choose to use their 2019 income to determine their credits rather than their 2020 income.
Joe Biden signed executive orders during his first full week in office.

Many young adults already believe Social Security won’t be around for them to collect. Although Social Security isn’t bankrupt, it’s certainly facing a serious shortfall in income to cover promised payments. Finding a consensus to fix the shortfall won’t be easy.

WASHINGTON- Shortly after President Biden took office, he proposed an immigration plan that would offer an eight-year path to full citizenship for 11 million immigrants who currently reside in the United States without legal status. The plan from Biden and Vice President Kamala D. Harris would give qualified immigrants from Central America temporary legal…
Consumer spending fell again in December.

—U.S. consumers slowed their spending by 0.2% in December, cutting back for a second straight month in a worrisome sign for an economy struggling under the weight of a still out-of-control pandemic. The decline reported Friday by the Commerce Department followed a seasonally adjusted 0.7% drop in November.

Retail stores had a tough 2020 dealing with the pandemic.

—Stuck in the grip of a viral pandemic, the U.S. economy grew at a 4% annual rate in the final three months of 2020 and shrank last year by the largest amount in 74 years. Thursday’s report from the Commerce Department estimated that the nation’s gross domestic product slowed sharply in the October-December quarter.

WASHINGTON— When you inherit a mess, as President Joe Biden has, everyone needs you to make their issue a priority. The novel coronavirus is still spreading, causing thousands of deaths each day, and we can't get enough vaccines in the arms of people to stop it, or at least slow it down. Right now, while the Democrats control the House and Senate, Biden needs to put this on…

On Tuesday, January 19, 2021, the Treasury secretary designate Janet Yellen outlined before the Senate Finance Committee the likely course of President Joe Biden’ s economic policies in the months ahead. Given the fragile state of the US economy as a result of covid-19, Yellen favors Biden’ s $1.9 trillion spending plan to provide support to the economy.

Matt Eyles, president and CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans, said that his organization wants to assist the administration in its goals of COVID-19 relief and economic recovery, while calling for health equity in America’s communities.

—President Joe Biden is set to announce a wide-ranging moratorium on new oil and gas leasing on U.S. lands and waters, as his administration moves quickly to reverse Trump administration policies on energy and the environment and address climate change. Biden will direct all U.S. agencies to use science and evidence-based decision-making in federal…

Now President Joe Biden is calling up the nation’ s top scientists and public health experts to regularly brief the American public about the pandemic that has claimed more than 425,000 U.S. lives. President Donald Trump claimed center stage and muddled the message of the nation’ s top public health experts in the critical early days of the virus and eventually…

President Joe Biden is expected to take executive action as early as Thursday to reopen the Affordable Care Act marketplaces as well as to lower the barriers to enroll in Medicaid.

—Sophisticated hackers, identity thieves and overseas criminal rings stole over $11 billion in unemployment benefits from California last year, but the extent of the fraud might grow far larger: billions more in payments are under investigation. California Labor Secretary Julie Su told reporters in a conference call Monday that of the $114 billion the state…
Janet Yellen, Treasury secretary, is calling for more pandemic stimulus.

The Senate on Monday approved President Joe Biden’s nomination of Janet Yellen to be the nation’s 78th treasury secretary, making her the first woman to hold the job in the department’s 232-year history.

House Democrats, who will walk the impeachment charge of “incitement of insurrection” to the Senate on Monday evening, are hoping that strong Republican denunciations of Trump after the Jan. 6 riot will translate into a conviction and a separate vote to bar Trump from holding office again. Democrats say the extra days will allow for more evidence to come out about…

Janet Yellen is one step closer to becoming Treasury secretary, with the Senate Finance Committee’s unanimously approving her nomination on Friday.
Chief of Staff Ron Klain, left, and President Joe Biden.

White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain instructed executive department and agency heads to put a hold on recently-issued rules and regulations and to refrain from issuing new ones. Klain said departments should consider postponing the effective dates of rules already published, such as the DOL investment advice rule.
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