| Biden is using executive orders and potentially budget reconciliation to pass economic relief; Angela Merkel's party begins preparing for a Germany without her at the helm. Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum. | | | | | | | Economic relief is on the agenda for Biden and the Democrats | | | | | | - President Biden signed two executive orders focused on emergency relief Friday, intended to function as a stopgap until Congress considers his $1.9 trillion relief package. [Newsweek / Elizabeth Crisp]
- To address a rise in hunger, Biden is extending the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food stamps, so that states can increase food assistance benefits and provide 15 percent larger school meal vouchers to low-income students. [Washington Post / Jeff Stein and Laura Reilly]
- Congress had left SNAP untouched throughout the pandemic. Biden's order will allow 12 million people to access greater benefits and direct the Agriculture Department to reassess the qualifications for SNAP, which they say are outdated. [Washington Post / Jeff Stein and Laura Reilly]
- The orders also increase workplace protections. Biden has asked the Labor Department to extend unemployment benefits to people who refuse to work in Covid-unsafe environments and restored a $15 minimum wage and collective bargaining power to workers at federal agencies and contractors. [NBC News / Lauren Egan]
- Biden's executive actions illustrate the difficulty of passing his $1.9 trillion stimulus package with a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. Republicans say the price tag, considering the $900 billion just authorized in December, is a nonstarter. [Politico / Burgess Everett]
- Democrats could pass many goals through budget reconciliation, which allows for simple majorities on appropriations bills. They may also try to expand the definition of what is considered budgetary versus discretionary — a distinction that may come down to the Senate parliamentarian. [Roll Call / Paul Krawzak]
- Using budget reconciliation could set up a showdown between left-wing Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the incoming chair of the Senate Budget Committee, and moderate Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), whose vote will be crucial in a 50-50 Senate. [Business Insider / Oma Seddiq]
| | | Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union party has chosen her successor | | - The Christian Democratic Union, Germany's center-right party, has chosen centrist and "Merkel continuity candidate" Armin Laschet, the governor of North-Rhine Westphalia, as its new party leader. [Reuters / Thomas Escritt and Caroline Copley]
- Laschet will take over a party that Angela Merkel has led successfully for what will be 16 years when she steps down later this year. Merkel was the de facto leader of the EU, governing effectively through the global financial, the eurozone debt and refugee crises, Brexit, and a mounting far-right movement across Europe. [WION News]
- The selection of the moderate Laschet is a repudiation of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party and a sign that the CDU, if projections hold, would create a coalition government with the environmentalist Greens Party. [Guardian / Philip Oltermann]
- CDU has remained in power largely on the strength of German trust in Merkel, rather than a particular affection for the party — making Laschet's job tenuous. [Financial Times / Guy Chazan]
- While Laschet is a strong believer in the EU, his views on Russia and China are perceived to be soft, which could potentially create conflict with NATO allies. But experts believe he values the US-Germany relationship too much to jeopardize it. [Politico / Laurenz Gehrke]
| | | | | | | | | [Vox / Emily Stewart] - An internal poll shows entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang with a strong lead over his competitors in New York City's mayoral race. [Intelligencer / David Freedlander]
- The House will send the articles of impeachment against Trump to the Senate on Monday. [The Hill / Jordain Carney]
- After a photo of Sen. Bernie Sanders and his Inauguration Day mittens became an inescapable meme, Sanders put the viral image on a sweatshirt, with all the proceeds benefiting Meals on Wheels. [Rolling Stone / Jon Blistein]
| | | | | | | | | | | | | "We still don't yet feel safe around other members of Congress. One just tried to bring a gun on the floor of the House today." | | | | | | | | | | | Matt is joined by author Mike Konczal, director of progressive thought at the Roosevelt Institute and author of the new book Freedom From the Market. They talk about the past, present, and future of public affordances in America, and discuss the shifts in political imagination that could inaugurate a new era of public programs in the earnest interest of benefiting Americans. [Spotify / Matt Yglesias] | | | | | | | | |  | This email was sent to edwardlorilla1986.paxforex@blogger.com. Manage your email preferences, or unsubscribe to stop receiving all emails from Vox. If you value Vox's unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036.
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