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.
Many U.S. consumers say they’ve noticed higher than usual prices for holiday gifts in recent months, according to a a December poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. A contributing factor is the unusually high import taxes the Trump administration put on foreign goods. While the worst-case consumer impact that many economists foresaw from the administration’s trade policies hasn’t materialized, some popular gift items have been affected more than others. Most toys and electronics sold in the U.S. come from China. So do most holiday decorations. Jewelry prices have risen due to the cost of gold.
Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime has charged a government minister and three others with abuse of position and falsifying of documents related to a luxury real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The charges came on Monday. The investigation centers on a controversy over a a bombed-out military complex in central Belgrade that was a protected cultural heritage zone but that is facing redevelopment as a luxury compound by a company linked to Kushner. The $500 million proposal to build a high-rise hotel, offices and shops at the site has met fierce opposition from experts at home and abroad. Selakovic and others allegedly illegally lifted the protection status for the site by falsifying documentation.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to block states from regulating artificial intelligence. He argues that heavy regulations could stifle the industry, especially given competition from China. Trump says the U.S. needs a unified approach to AI regulation to avoid complications from state-by-state rules. The order directs the administration to draw up a list of problematic regulations for the Attorney General to challenge. States with laws could lose access to broadband funding, according to the text of the order. Some states have already passed AI laws focusing on transparency and limiting data collection.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act. For a critical sliver of the GOP majority, the impending expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits after Dec. 31 could be a major political liability as they potentially face midterm headwinds in a 2026 election critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda. For Democrats, the party’s strategy for capturing the House majority revolves around pinning higher bills for groceries, health insurance and utilities on Republicans.
