Sunday, November 7, 2021

White House projects confidence in infrastructure projects starting by spring

But one senator says Democrats "blew the timing" of the infrastructure and spending bills.

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"The public health implications I worry about is that the opposition that's forming to these COVID mandates is going to bleed into opposition to other kinds of vaccine mandates and things that we've long come to accept, like mandates on childhood immunizations for school, even mandates on health care workers."

    - Former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb on opposition to the federal COVID-19 vaccination and testing rule


    Welcome to the "Face the Nation" Five at Five newsletter. Scroll down for your five takeaways from today's broadcast of "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on CBS.

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    1. Top Biden aide Richmond is "very confident" infrastructure projects will begin by spring

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    Cedric Richmond, a senior adviser to President Biden, projected optimism on Sunday that work on projects funded by the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package passed by Congress will begin in the next few months, saying he's "very confident" ground will be broken by the spring.

    In an interview with "Face the Nation," Richmond was asked whether he agreed with President Biden's assessment that Americans will begin to see the effects of the infrastructure legislation beginning within the next two to three months.

    What Richmond said: "We're very optimistic, almost certain. Remember, the president oversaw the American Rescue Plan, which we saw after the last Great Recession under the Obama administration that he oversaw, and it was very effective. He knows what he's doing. This is his plan. We have administration expertise to get it done. I'm very confident we can get it done."

    Why it matters: The House approved the bipartisan infrastructure bill late Friday, breaking a monthslong logjam as Democrats haggled over the details of Mr. Biden's broader $1.75 trillion climate and social spending package. House progressives had been pushing for both bills to move through Congress on parallel tracks and threatened to tank the $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan, but ultimately agreed to move it through the House after receiving a commitment from moderates to support the social spending measure once they receive a fiscal analysis from the Congressional Budget Office.

    2. Kaine says Democrats "blew the timing" of infrastructure and spending bills

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    Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said Sunday that congressional Democrats "blew the timing" of passing the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and broader social policy and climate package, to the detriment of Democrat Terry McAuliffe in his failed race for the Virginia governor's mansion against Republican Glenn Youngkin.

    What Kaine said: "Bluntly, we blew it, and I'm not talking about progressives or moderates or the House or the Senate. The congressional Democrats have majorities in both houses, and the American public expects us to deliver. If we had done both of these bills in early October, Terry McAuliffe would have had so much to sell: Relief is coming in terms of lowering childcare costs, pre-kindergarten. There's going to be infrastructure to hire people to fix our ports and our airports and improve our roads. Instead, with a narrow majority, a lot of people start to think, 'Let's see, I can hold out for the one thing I most want, or I can hold out to kick out this one thing I don't like.' And Democrats blew the timing."

    Why it matters: McAuliffe, a former governor of Virginia who was seeking a second non-consecutive term, lost to Youngkin by roughly two points in a state President Biden won by 10 points in 2020. Youngkin became the first Republican to win statewide in Virginia since 2009, prompting a reckoning among Democrats as they look to maintain control of Congress in the 2022 midterm elections.

    3. FedEx CEO says company can meet holiday demand amid staffing and supply chain issues

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    With the holiday season approaching, delays in the U.S. supply chain have raised the question of whether shipping companies will be able to meet the holiday demand.

    U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told "Face the Nation" last week that consumers should "call FedEx" if they wanted to ensure that their packages would arrive in time for Christmas. In response, FedEx CEO Fred Smith said Sunday that his company will be able to make holiday deliveries on time if it can hire enough employees to do so.

    What Smith said: "We're ready, assuming that we can get the employees. The lack of employees, particularly since last spring and into the summer, partially because of the Delta variant and partially because of the stimulus which hit right before the Delta variant took hold of a lot of the country, created a lot of employment issues."

    Why it matters: According to Smith, FedEx has processed 90,000 employee applications since November 1, compared to 50,000 over a one-week period in May. Smith said this is "very encouraging" because the lack of employees is contributing to delays. He also said the "inability to improve infrastructure over the last 20 years" was a key factor and praised Congress for passing the bipartisan infrastructure deal on Friday.

    4. Gottlieb predicts "broad immunity" among children as more get vaccinated

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    Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration who now serves on Pfizer's board of directors, said Sunday that he expects "broad immunity" against COVID-19 among younger children as more get vaccinated.

    What Gottlieb said: "The uptake on a 5- to 11[-year-old] vaccine has been very brisk, and I suspect that uptake is going to be better than 12 to 17. There were some estimates that uptake would be less than 12 to 17. I think it could be the opposite. Right now, CVS is scheduled to deliver more than 1 million vaccines to kids ages 5 to 11 today, so I think you're going to see broad immunity get put into the child population."

    Why it matters: Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended the pediatric version of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11 years old. Vaccine clinics and pediatricians' offices around the country have already received shipments of the smaller vaccine and started putting shots in arms. Gottlieb said the Biden administration's rollout of the vaccine for kids has been "outstanding."

    5. "Face the Nation" marks 67 years on the air

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    CBS News' political affairs show "Face the Nation" on Sunday marked its 67th anniversary since its first broadcast in 1954.

    In 2019, moderator Margaret Brennan took a look back at the prolific show and what it strives to accomplish in a divided Washington.

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    Watch and listen to "Face the Nation" on the go: CBSN, SiriusXM POTUS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

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