Washington has been completely focused on stimulus negotiations but with the bill signed and sealed, will it be delivered to the American people? Plus, what is up next for the Biden administration now that it has clocked its first major legislative win? This is your Washington Week Ahead.
ROAD TRIP: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are hitting the road for a victory lap around the country, touting the major wins in the American Rescue Plan. They will travel separately and then join up to promote all the benefits that Americans will receive directly, including $1,400 stimulus payments for many families and individuals and an expanded child tax credit that should pay out monthly.
INFRASTRUCTURE WEEK: There's a bit of a joke in Washington anytime there is an "infrastructure week": a policy-focused period to discuss the incredibly vague idea of infrastructure. Everyone will laugh and brush it off — we've all been here before and nothing has changed. But the Biden team wants to change that trend by selling Congress on its Build Back Better plan, including $1+ trillion in spending on roads, bridges, green technology, and rural broadband expansion. But a reluctant Republican Party isn't likely to get on board, which may mean we'll see another infrastructure week that builds exactly nothing.
BORDER CRISIS?: If Republicans had their way, the only topic in Washington right now would be a crisis at the border. Whether there even is a crisis is pretty subjective at this point — the Biden White House refutes the characterization while Republican leadership cannot repeat it enough. But one thing is certain: this administration wants to do a big immigration deal with a Congress that has no interest in bipartisan deals, especially on controversial issues like immigration. Biden and congressional allies aren't giving up that easily though. They've released the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 as their starting point for negotiation.
