News : Biden’s ‘cradle to grave’ agenda

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

Biden’s ‘cradle to grave’ agenda

Sep 07, 2021

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By Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri, Eugene Daniels and Rachael Bade

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DRIVING THE DAY

A busy week to start a busy month: Unemployment benefits have ended for millions of Americans … Biden visits storm-damaged areas of New Jersey and Queens today … House committees continue to work on the Dems' reconciliation bill in advance of a Sept. 15 deadline … The Producer Price Index , a key measure of inflation, is released Friday … The 20th anniversary of 9/11 is Saturday

WHAT TO WATCH THIS MONTH: One challenge in covering the Dems' $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill is conveying the sheer enormity of it.

Nobody really even knows what to call it. Is it a jobs package? A human infrastructure bill? A climate bill? Social welfare legislation? Yes.

Because Dems aim to pass into law every major domestic priority on which they can find agreement, it is all of those things and more.

The NYT's Jonathan Weisman today has one of the better distillations of the breadth of this legislation by looking at its "cradle to grave" qualities and how they would affect the relationship between Americans and the federal government:

"[C]onsider a life, from conception to death. Democrats intend to fund paid family and medical leave" — see Tara's take on this below — "to allow a parent to take some time off during pregnancy and after a child's birth.

"When that parent is ready to return to work, expanded funding for child care would kick in to help cover day care costs. When that child turns 3, another part of the bill, universal prekindergarten, would ensure public education can begin at an earlier age, regardless of where that child lives.

"Most families with children would continue to receive federal income supplements each month in the form of an expanded child tax credit …

"And at high school graduation, most students would be guaranteed two years of higher education through expanded federal financial aid, geared toward community colleges.

"Even after that, income supplements and generous work force training programs — including specific efforts to train home health and elder-care workers — would keep the government present in many adult lives. In old age, people would be helped by tax credits to offset the cost of elder care and by an expansion of Medicare to cover dental, hearing and vision services."

Even this description doesn't capture the bill's ambitions when it comes to policies on taxes, climate and immigration.

While previous Democratic administrations shied away from emphasizing the "government" part of new government benefits, members of the White House staff are embracing it.

"If we get this passed, a decade from now, people are going to see many more touch points of government supporting them and their families," HEATHER BOUSHEY, one of President JOE BIDEN's top economists, tells Weisman.

Before Democrats pass any of this, they will need to deal with the September Scylla and Charybdis of keeping the government open after annual funding bills expire Oct. 1 and raising the debt limit.

There will be an enormous amount of parliamentary intrigue about how they navigate around those two legislative monsters, and we'll be watching it carefully for you. (Take a shot every time you read "high-stakes political gamesmanship.")

But we don't believe a Democratic Congress and president will allow a government shutdown or a debt default. How Biden, Speaker NANCY PELOSI and Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER find the votes will be interesting, but keep your eye on what's more important: the substance of the reconciliation bill, which is what this Congress will be remembered for.

Good Tuesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. "Impeachment: American Crime Story," which dramatizes the CLINTON-LEWINSKY saga, premieres tonight on FX. A couple of us have seen the first episodes already, and we anticipate a lively debate about this show in the coming days. Drop us a line and tell us what you think of it: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri.

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POLICY-PALOOZA, PART 3: UNIVERSAL PAID LEAVE — IVANKA TRUMP clinched a version of it for federal workers. Democrats have been pining for it for years. Now, it looks like Congress is ready to make universal paid leave a reality as part of their reconciliation package.

Unlike other proposals that need to surmount pockets of Democratic opposition, this one seems to be sitting pretty. The biggest bones of contention are over how many weeks of leave to offer and which federal agency should run it: the Social Security Administration or Treasury Department. If it happens, Democrats are optimistic they'll be rewarded in next year's midterms, particularly by female voters.

WHAT WE'VE GOT NOW: The Family Medical Leave Act, enacted in 1993, requires that companies with 50 or more employees grant parents 12 weeks of leave to care for a new child. But it doesn't guarantee pay. Only one in five private-sector workers now have access to employer-provided paid leave, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation.

WHAT DEMOCRATS HAVE IN MIND: There are two different frameworks, one from Ways and Means Chair RICHARD NEAL (D-Mass.), the other from Sen. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D-N.Y.). They're both aiming to provide paid leave for up to 12 weeks — approximately two-thirds of an employee's wages, but no more than $4,800 per month — for the birth or adoption of a child, to care for a family member with a medical condition or for a personal serious health condition.

The differences: Gillibrand's Family Act calls for Social Security to run the program, while Neal's version of the bill would have Treasury administer it. Also, Neal is pushing for 12 weeks for everyone, while the Senate and the White House are considering a less expensive package with different benefits for different types of leave.

KEY FACTIONS: The AARP is throwing its weight behind Neal's plan, saying Social Security is strapped as it is and shouldn't be saddled with another program. The interest group also worries the Senate proposal could end up tapping Social Security funds.

The White House is backing Gillibrand's plan. Supporters of that version say it would save money because existing Social Security staff could administer the program. They're also wary of Treasury's ability to manage it well.

SHOW ME THE MONEY: The CBO pegged the cost of Gillibrand's at as much as $500 billion and Neal's at closer to $600 billion over a decade. The Biden administration, however, estimates that by phasing in benefits over a longer period of time, the price tag would be about $225 billion.

STAR POWER: MELINDA GATES, the billionaire philanthropist, has been pressing members of the Ways and Means Committee and Senate HELP Committee to ensure paid leave makes it in the reconciliation bill.

THE TIMING: Expect federal paid family leave to be one of the first bills on the docket in the House Ways and Means Committee. That means we could see the text as soon as this week.

P.S. If you are enjoying these policy deep dives — ICYMI, the first two installments are here and here — and are a professional who'd like more, consider subscribing to POLITICO Pro.

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BIDEN'S TUESDAY:

— 8:30 a.m.: The president will receive the President's Daily Brief.

— 9:50 a.m.: Biden will depart the White House en route to Hillsborough Township, N.J., where he is scheduled to arrive at 11:40 a.m.

— 12:15 p.m.: Biden will receive a briefing from local leaders on the impacts of Hurricane Ida.

— 2:10 p.m.: Biden will tour a neighborhood affected by Ida in Manville, N.J.

— 3:10 p.m.: Biden will travel to Queens, N.Y., where he is scheduled to arrive at 3:35 p.m.

— 4 p.m.: Biden will tour a neighborhood in Queens and deliver remarks on the administration's response to Ida.

— 5:40 p.m.: Biden will depart Queens to return to the White House, where he is scheduled to arrive at 7:15 p.m.

Press secretary JEN PSAKI will gaggle on Air Force One on the way to Queens.

THE SENATE and THE HOUSE are out.

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.

PLAYBOOK READS

A man walks through what remains of his living room and kitchen at his hurricane destroyed home in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Monday, Sept. 6, 2021, in Lockport, La.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: A Lockport, La., home badly damaged by Hurricane Ida has only parts of its living room and kitchen remaining Monday. | John Locher/AP Photo

TALIBAN TAKEOVER

— The Taliban claimed it has secured total control of Afghanistan, "releasing images they said showed the conquest of the provincial capital of Panjshir," WSJ's Saeed Shah reports.

— CNN's Alex Marquardt, Chandelis Duster and Brianna Keilar report that the U.S. government "facilitated the departure of four American citizens from Afghanistan via an overland route to a third country."

— The Journal's Jared Malsin and Dion Nissenbaum tell the harrowing story of a 14-year-old girl and her 3-year-old sister's "journey across Afghanistan to escape the Taliban."

POLICY CORNER

— ABORTION LATEST: The DOJ says it is exploring "all options" to protect abortion clinics and people attempting to get an abortion or provide one. A.G. MERRICK GARLAND said the department is trying to figure out its "enforcement authorities," WaPo's Hamza Shaban reports . … The Portland, Ore., city council is voting Wednesday to ban the purchase of goods and services from Texas, and stop city employee travel to the Lone Star State. The AP has the latest.

— 7.5 million people lost expanded unemployment benefits to help people through the pandemic "without objection from President Biden and his top economic advisers," NYT's Jim Tankersley and Ben Casselman report.

POLITICS ROUNDUP

— The disparities between how Americans in blue states and red states vote is continuing to grow with Republicans tightening rules and Democrats working to make voting easier, WaPo's Elise Viebeck reports.

— Our Zach Montellaro reports that "GOP legislative leaders in key battleground states" — including Wisconsin and Pennsylvania — are increasingly embracing 2020 election investigations that they once held at arm's length, as Arizona Republicans await a long-delayed final report from their own conspiracy-tinged "audit."

THE PANDEMIC

— Why's it taking so long to get young kids vaccinated? WSJ's Jared Hopkins looks at the "logistical dance" keeping the jabs out of their arms.

— The AP's Stefanie Dazio takes a look at how "police officers and first responders are among" those most hesitant to take the Covid-19 vaccine. Last year, 241 law enforcement officials died from the virus, according to data from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

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BEYOND THE BELTWAY

— Senior living apartments in New Orleans are getting deeper inspections after it became clear many of them lacked working generators after Hurricane Ida. AP's Kevin McGill and Jeff Martin have that story.

— New college enrollment data shows that at the end of last school year, women made up 59.5% of college students and men just 40.5%. WSJ's Douglas Belkin looks at why American men are "abandoning higher education."

TRUMP CARDS

— "Boots on the ground in Iowa. Accelerated fundraising. More national media interviews. A flood of new press statements. A rise in attack ads on the web": DONALD TRUMP is acting a lot like a 2024 candidate, according to Meridith McGraw and Marc Caputo. They cite Trump associates saying "Biden's declining political fortunes amid the resurgence of coronavirus and the Aug. 15 fall of Kabul have intensified the interest of the former president, who is already motivated by a burning sense of pride and grievance over his loss to Biden."

— NYT's Jack Nicas has an interesting long read on the "Freedom Phone" created by a 22-year-old, part of "a growing right-wing tech industry … relying more on their conservative customers' distaste for Silicon Valley than expertise or experience."

— The Daily Beast's Jose Pagliery and Asawin Suebsaeng got their hands on 700 pages of emails from the Georgia secretary of state's office that detail just how wild the recount era got in the state.

— Former FBI Director ANDREW MCCABE told CNN law enforcement need to take the upcoming Justice for J6 rally "very seriously." CNN's Paul LeBlanc has more on the rally that is meant to support the insurrectionists that ransacked the Capitol.

MEDIAWATCH

— A sea change for Murdoch? In a story datelined Sydney, Australia, the NYT's Damien Cave reports that "RUPERT MURDOCH's media outlets in his native Australia are planning an editorial campaign next month advocating a carbon-neutral future." The move, which comes "after years of casting doubt on climate change," could bring "pressure on Fox News and other Murdoch-owned outlets in the United States and Britain that have been hostile to climate science."

JOIN THURSDAY FOR A CONVERSATION ABOUT RETURNING TO THE WORKPLACE : Businesses across the U.S. are having to navigate all sorts of complexities around vaccines, masking requirements, testing and social distancing. Join POLITICO for a conversation to explore how government, public health officials and employers are navigating the return of in-person work. The focus of the conversation will be on the solutions for creating safe, in-person workplaces. REGISTER HERE.

PLAYBOOKERS

Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign, was ousted by the group's board Monday night, Maggie Haberman reports.

Stormy Daniels is raising money for Houma, the Louisiana city devastated by Hurricane Ida.

Clarissa Ward of CNN shares her very personal experiences of covering the war in Afghanistan.

VP Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff wished a Happy New Year to those celebrating Rosh Hashanah.

Tommy Vietor, a former spokesperson for the NSC, learned about the existence of the country Andorra.

BOOK CLUB — David Rubenstein's new book, "The American Experiment: Dialogues on a Dream" ($23), is out today. It features interviews with Jill Lepore, Madeleine Albright, Ken Burns, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Elaine Weiss, John Meacham, Walter Isaacson, David McCullough, John Barry, Paul Simon, Wynton Marsalis, Billie Jean King and Rita Moreno. The cover

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Daniel Kroese is now senior director of U.S. government affairs for the cybersecurity strategy and global policy team at Palo Alto Networks. He previously was staff director for the House Homeland Security GOP, and is a CISA alum.

TRANSITIONS — Britton Burdick is now comms director for Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.). He previously was director of public affairs at Forbes Tate Partners. … Lizzie Messer is now a senior associate at Cornerstone Government Affairs. She most recently was legislative assistant for Rep. John Rutherford (R-Fla.). …

… Katharine Emerson is now chief of staff for World Food Program USA. She previously was director of Bayer's political affairs team. … Erika Reynoso is now senior PR manager for sustainability at Amazon. She previously managed government relations PR and CSR storytelling at Wells Fargo.

ENGAGED — Christian Datoc, a White House correspondent for the Washington Examiner, proposed to Cailyn Kreitz, a senior systems analyst at Covington & Burling, on Saturday at Sfoglina Van Ness. The two met on Bumble in December 2017. Pic … Another pic

WEEKEND WEDDINGS — Ali Pardo, comms director for the House Republican Conference and a Trump campaign alum, and Michael Black, a Kelly Loeffler and Johnny Isakson alum, got married Sunday overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains in Asheville, N.C. Pic … SPOTTED: Al Cardenas, Zach Parkinson, Ben Williamson and Natalie Johnson, Johanna Persing, Kerry Rom and Richard Sant, Ninio Fetalvo, Amanda Maddox, Becca Coffman and Mike Lurie, Hunter Mullins, Catherine Wilkins, Tyler Fields, Kristian Hemphill, and Kate and Brian Parnitzke.

— Kirsten Hartman, deputy chief of staff for Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.), and Lucas West, senior policy adviser for Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.), got married at Sequoia on the Georgetown Waterfront on Sunday. Pic

— Alison Council, legislative assistant for Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Jeffrey Liskov, an associate at BakerHostetler, got married Sunday in Chittenden, Vt., surrounded by clouds, the Green Mountain National Forest and friends and family. The couple met seven years ago when they were attending GW. Pic … Another pic

— Sean Simons, press secretary at Bono's ONE Campaign and a Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly alum, and Sarah Tagg, comms specialist at Northrop Grumman Corporation, got married Saturday at George Mason's Gunston Hall in Lorton, Va. The couple met 10 years ago as students at the University of Mary Washington. Pic

— Fred Brown, a VP at Dezenhall Resources and an RNC alum, and Rebecca Schieber, managing director for political at Targeted Victory and a Carly Fiorina alum, got married Sunday at Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church. The reception was at the Mid-America Club on the 80th floor of the Aon Center building with views of downtown Chicago and a beautiful sunset. Pic … SPOTTED: Carly and Frank Fiorina (seen tearing up the dance floor), Sarah Isgur, Raffi Williams and Morgan Chalfant, Casey Enders, James and Cara Hewitt, Anna Epstein and Aaron Steeg, Frank Sadler, Brent and Cassie Scher, Natalie Strom Short and Michael Short, David Ray, Brian Parks, Kelly Klass, Daniel Lippman, Zach and Jaime Gregory, and Josh Culling.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Shawn McCreesh … Peggy Noonan … POLITICO Europe's Zoya Sheftalovich … BuzzFeed's Zoe Tillman … Meridian International Center's Stuart Holliday … Joe Klein … IBM's Chris Padilla … WaPo's Michael Duffy and Bill O'Leary … Meredith Raimondi of the National Council of Urban Indian Health (35) … Robert Blizzard of Public Opinion Strategies … Sam Iacobellis … Jack Oberg of Charles River Associates … CBS' Melissa Quinn … Erin Mendelsohn of Takeda … Elizabeth Fox … NEA's Brandon Rettke … Cheryl Parker Rose … Craig Higgins of the House Appropriations Committee … Matthew Grill … Eric Kanter of Rep. Jared Golden's (D-Maine) office … Caroline Chambers … Johan Propst of Rep. Brad Sherman's (D-Calif.) office … MSNBC's Stefanie Cargill … Emerson Collective's Robin Reck … VOA's John Walker … Locust Street Group's Mia Saponara … Nick Ciarlante … Jeff Schrade … Kate Andersen Brower … Gayle Tzemach Lemmon … David Grant … Anthony Tata … former Rep. Ryan Costello (R-Pa.) … John Catsimatidis … Maralee Schwartz

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It's not just Amazon employees who noticed the immediate benefit of increasing their starting wage to at least $15 an hour — a new study from the University of California-Berkeley and Brandeis University found that when Amazon raised its wages, the average hourly wage in the surrounding area rose by 4.7% as other employers followed their lead.

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