🤫 Biden’s private plan

Plus: Senate mods have Fed fav | Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Open in app View in browser   Presented By HCA Healthcare   Axios Sneak Peek By the Axios Politics team ·Sep 14, 2021 Welcome back to Sneak. A new Woodward (and Costa!) book started to send ripples through This Town. 🚨 Breaking: "The coronavirus pandemic remains at the top of voters' minds," according to a California exit poll conducted for CNN and other news networks by Edison Research. Polls in the recall close at 11pm ET. Smart Brevity™ count: 1,407 words ... 5.5 minutes. Edited by Glen Johnson.     1 big thing: Biden's private plan President Biden tours the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Arvada, Colorado, today. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images   The Biden administration plans to unveil a private refugee sponsorship program next year, allowing private organizations and groups to financially support refugees — including Afghans. Why it matters: U.S. companies and individuals have already expressed an eagerness to donate, volunteer and help rescue vulnerable Afghans. The administration's new plan will build on that, creating a whole new way for Americans to help address a burgeoning refugee crisis, Axios' Stef Kight has learned. A similar effort, Welcome.us, launched Tuesday, backed by Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton. Between the lines: Currently, nine U.S. refugee agencies work with the federal government and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to provide care for people resettled in the country. The plan being put together by the State Department would allow private companies, advocacy groups and local communities to directly support — and even bring in — refugees, according to conversations with multiple advocates familiar with it. It would also allow groups — rather than just those agencies — to provide support to Afghans "paroled" in the U.S. In February, President Biden signed an executive order calling for innovation in the refugee process, including "effectively employing technology and capitalizing on community and private sponsorship of refugees." The State Department declined to comment. What to watch: The program would mirror Canada's private refugee resettlement system — which is extremely popular. Canada set a goal of 22,500 refugees to be resettled through private sponsorship in 2021 — 1.8 times as many as the target for government-assisted refugees. The country has a webpage for groups of five or more Canadians or private organizations who want to sponsor already approved refugees or refugees that groups have located on their own. Advocates told Axios they see the Welcome.us initiative — which creates a central hub for Americans to donate to or volunteer with refugee agencies — as an on-ramp for future private refugee sponsors. The policy details are still being worked out by the State Department, including how many people are required to sponsor a refugee and how much private resettlement could happen without oversight from refugee agencies. The exact timing is also unclear, especially given the current, national attention on the plight of Afghans. Keep reading.     2. Powell gaining Senate moderates' support Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images   Some Senate Democrats are urging Biden to reappoint Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell for a second term, suggesting that replacing him could erode the independence of the institution, Axios' Alayna Treene and Hans Nichols report. Why it matters: Public support from centrist Democrats has the potential to cinch reappointment for a figure credited with helping the country navigate the huge economic hit of the coronavirus pandemic. Powell's just completing what some termed a summer audition. "I like Powell; I think he's a good guy. I think he deserves another term," Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, told Axios. "Trump tried to politicize it and [Powell] pushed back," Tester said of the former president. "You don't want to politicize the Fed. That's a bad direction to go." "The current chairman has earned our confidence and respect," said Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) "If he's nominated, I'm certainly going to support him. I'm not looking for a change." Driving the news: While the Fed chair's term expires in early 2022, the president is expected to make a decision this fall — in part to give financial markets plenty of time to digest his choice. Powell also is liked by Republicans, who prefer keeping the current chair rather than enabling Democrats to replace him with someone more liberal. "He's had a steady hand," said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) "And in these uncertain times, I think it'd be a wise nomination." "If Chair Powell were put forth, he'd have a strong vote on the Republican side," said Tillis, also a member of the Banking Committee. The big picture: Biden's decision on Powell will play out in a challenging political and economic environment, with COVID-19 still rampaging and supply chain disruptions leading to higher prices. Congress also has to fund the government by Oct. 1, and raise the debt limit later in the month. Meanwhile, some Democratic economists are suggesting that inflation might not be as temporary as the White House claims. "On net, the Delta variant is likely to be inflationary," former Treasury Secretary Larry Summer told Axios. "It does seem like the economy is facing a substantial set of risks for a longer period of time." Flashback: During his first year in office, Trump jettisoned then-Fed Chair Janet Yellen in favor of Powell. The former president then pressured Powell to lower interest rates to bolster the economy, claiming he had the power to fire him if he didn't. Powell protected the Fed's independence and worked closely with Congress to provide extraordinary support to the economy in the early days of the pandemic, earning goodwill in both parties. Keep reading.     3. By the numbers: Speeding border asylum cases Data: TRAC; Chart: Axios Visuals The Biden administration now has nearly 17,000 migrants assigned to special courts dedicated to processing families seeking asylum quicker, Stef also writes. Why it matters: New data from Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) gives another sign of just how many migrants — including families — have been crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to claim political asylum. Nearly 12,000 migrants were added to the docket in August, according to TRAC. Two-thirds of the more than 16,700 cases have been assigned to just six judges, portending new backlogs in a process designed to circumvent them. One Boston immigration judge was assigned 129 cases in one day. What they're saying: Multiple advocacy groups have condemned the administration's return to so-called "rocket dockets" for migrant families. There's concern the cases are decided too quickly — not giving migrants a fair shot. Such a fast-track court process is just another way the administration is scrambling to more quickly move migrants through the immigration process. "Although the Biden administration is understandably trying to find creative ways to address asylum-seeking families, the new 'Dedicated Docket' may do more to simply shuffle cases around and disrupt immigration judge's schedules rather than allowing the court to process asylum cases in a fair and efficient manner," Austin Kocher, a TRAC assistant research professor, told Axios.     A message from HCA Healthcare The U.S. hospital system that's treated the most COVID-19 inpatients     HCA Healthcare confirmed their first COVID-19 case in January 2020. HCA Healthcare has treated more suspected and positive COVID-19 inpatients than any other health system in the nation. Key Numbers: This includes more than 173,000 patients admitted for inpatient care as of June, 30 2021.     4. Senate leaves without finalizing reconciliation Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer addresses reporters today. Photo: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images   Senate leaders held their final votes for the week tonight so members could fly home early for Yom Kippur, Alayna also reports. Why it matters: Senate Democrats, who returned yesterday from their monthlong recess, left town one day before Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) "soft" deadline for the House and Senate committees to finish drafting their portions of the $3.5 trillion infrastructure reconciliation plan. However, many of the committees are still drafting details of the package, such as whether repealing the state and local tax deduction limits (SALT) should be included in the tax portion of the House Ways and Means bill. Between the lines: The Senate was already scheduled to have a truncated week. It planned to break ahead of sundown tomorrow for those celebrating the Jewish holiday. But ensuring the last votes for the week were held today meant Democrats also could avoid having to answer questions about whether they met tomorrow's self-imposed deadline. What they're saying: Senate Democratic leadership aides insist the plan was never to have the finalized text by today but to have enough text that the caucus could discuss the contents during its weekly lunch meeting Tuesday — which it did. Schumer said this morning he believes members met his deadline: "Working with our colleagues in the House, we will have met the target date of Sept. 15 set in the Budget Resolution for producing text to review." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also praised the committees in a Monday "Dear Colleague" letter, stating that by tomorrow, they will "meet the deadline to submit their legislative proposals to the Budget Committee." Yes, but: Democrats are far from finalizing the $3.5 trillion bill. They haven't even settled on a final price tag. Moderates like Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) say they won't support such a steep price, while progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) saying $3.5 trillion is the minimum. Axios also spoke with several Democratic senators and their aides this week about the Sept. 15 deadline, and they gave wide-ranging answers about what was supposed to happen by tomorrow and whether it had been achieved. The consensus, though, is they have a very long way to go before reaching a final deal.     5. Pic du jour: Rocky mounts Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images   A police phalanx waits to escort President Biden away from Denver International Airport.     A message from HCA Healthcare HCA Healthcare's commitment to advancing ethical standards     This year, HCA Healthcare was recognized for the 11th time by Ethisphere as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. Why it's important: Ethisphere is a global leader in defining and advancing ethical business practices. Learn more about how HCA Healthcare shows up.   📬 Thanks for reading. A reminder that your family, friends and colleagues can subscribe to this or any of Axios' free newsletters through this link. Like this email style and format? Learn more about Axios HQ. It'll help you deliver employee communications more effectively.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: