After a bruising week for progressive Democrats that ruled out including a minimum wage hike in the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, Congressional business on the legislation will continue next week. This is your Washington Week Ahead for the week of March 1.
Trump Speaks
Former President Donald Trump will speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference, commonly referred to as CPAC, in Orlando on Sunday. It will be his first major public appearance since leaving office and comes after a series of high-profile rebukes from Democrats, including an impeachment trial, while the Republican Party seems divided on how it moves forward. Plus, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) keeps flip-flopping in his support, pledging to support Trump if he runs for the White House again in 2024, just days after holding him responsible for the January 6 insurrection on the Capitol building. Trump has pledged a return of his Make America Great Again movement and CPAC will provide a friendly platform for that exact messaging, further highlighting the hold he still has on his party.
Stimulus Stalemate
The Senate will begin debate on the American Rescue Plan on March 1, marking the first time the chamber is officially taking up the latest round of coronavirus relief spending. The nearly $2 trillion rescue package includes $1,400 stimulus checks for Americans, billions in federal relief for state, local, and tribal governments, and a huge bucket of money for vaccine rollout. Because the Senate has a legislative filibuster, the bill must adhere to the Byrd Rule, a parliamentary procedure that allows budget reconciliation legislation to pass without being subject to the filibuster. One thing we know for sure is that the final Senate version of the bill, expected to pass next week, will not include a federal minimum wage increase after the parliamentarian determined it would be against the rules. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 and has remained unchanged since 2009.
Voting Rights in the Spotlight
Now that the House of Representatives has finished with COVID relief, it’s on to other priorities. In the last Congress, House Democrats passed H.R. 1, the For the People Act, a sweeping election reform bill. It languished in a Republican-controlled Senate. This is a chance for the chamber to try again — but expect a lot of amendments from Republicans, looking to strike down provisions like universal vote-by-mail and extended early voting periods, as well as a national holiday for Election Day. At the same time, the United State Supreme Court will hear arguments on a pair of Voting Rights Act cases that could further erode protections for disadvantaged voters. So in the first week in March, 20 months before the 2022 midterm elections, all eyes in Washington will be on voting rights.
What you Need to Know on Thursday, March 17. Updates from Ukraine, President Biden refers to Putin as a ‘war criminal’ for the first time, Walmart has ambitious hiring targets for Q1, and Netflix takes steps to crack down on password sharing.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joined Cheddar's Michelle Castillo from South By Southwest to boost President Biden's bipartisan infrastructure legislation and talk about the big transportation issues of the day, including electric vehicle charging infrastructure and the future of public transit. "It means we have a huge wind at our back delivering on the kinds of transportation solutions that are going to define the 2020's 2030s, 2040s even," he said. "And that's what makes it exciting to come to South by Southwest and talk with some of the people who are following these technologies and ideas the most closely and talk about where we're headed." Buttigieg also touched on the "Don't Say Gay" legislation in Florida, noting that such legislative pushes were likely coming from politicians deflecting from lacking answers to pressing economic concerns, in his opinion.
Following President Biden's executive order that could lead toward regulating digital currency in the United States. Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J. 5th District), the congressman responsible for proposing a bill to regulate stablecoins, digital assets backed by fiat currencies, joined Cheddar News to discuss the bill. "I just want to make sure that we're doing everything we can to be helpful to encourage this innovation and growth here in the United States," he said.
European antitrust regulators gave Amazon approval for its MGM acquisition deal. Amazon expects MGM's collection of content will help it compete in the increasingly crowded world of streaming services.
Lisa Whalen, managing director of automotive and mobility analysis at Morning Consult, joins Cheddar News to discuss Uber and Lyft's decision to enact price surcharges on riders.
Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.) joined Cheddar News to talk about a range of topics including Sarah Bloom Raskin's recent withdrawal as a nominee to the Federal Reserve, the impact the Federal Reserve will have on inflation, and the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. "I think it's unfortunate she had to withdraw. I think she was very, very qualified for the position by everything she's done in her past, especially in the area of cyber," he said. "She would have been good to have on the Fed."
With a zero-covid policy in China, country officials are imposing lockdowns in the region in an attempt to control the spread. With China being home to about one-third of global manufacturing, these lockdowns are wreaking havoc on the already fragile supply chain, causing disruption to production of phones and cars alike. Suketu Gandhi, Supply Chain Partner at Kearney joined Cheddar's Azia Celestino to discuss.
Markets opened higher this morning as oil prices fall and investors await a decision from the Federal Reserve. Keith Fitz-Gerald, Chief Investment Officer, Fitz-Gerald Group joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Catching you up on what you Need to Know on March 16, 2022, with updates on Ukraine and Russia, a container ship gets stuck in the Chesapeake Bay, Disney employees stage a walkout over the "Don't Say Gay" law in Florida, and NASA completes its first spacewalk of 2022.
