Congress looks to ban lawmakers from trading individual stocks

Feb 8, 2022
Some of the proposed legislation would include spouses; some would include dependents as well.
A man walks by the New York Stock Exchange in New York City.
Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Congress returns to funding, Build Back Better attempt

Jan 31, 2022
Talk of a Supreme Court nomination is on everyone's lips these days, but Congress has an economic laundry list to address.
With Congress back in session, Democrats will want another try at passing at least portions of the Build Back Better agenda.
Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for MoveOn

Why it's so hard to pass climate crisis legislation in the U.S.

Jan 27, 2022
The American political system makes it easier to block change than to create it, explains Shannon Osaka of Grist.
The Build Back Better Bill is stalled, but it's not the first time that legislation aimed at tackling climate change has been sidelined.
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The infrastructure bill is on the president’s desk. What’s in it for rural America?

Nov 15, 2021
Rural states with the most work to do on those fronts — like Alaska, Wyoming, Montana and Vermont — will receive the most funding per capita.
Street lights line an unpaved road in Kivalina, Alaska. Alaska is among the rural states to receive the highest per capita funding from the $1 trillion infrastructure bill.
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Congress' budget gurus may slow down Biden’s Build Back Better plan

Nov 11, 2021
Zach Moller talks about what a Congressional Budget Office score is and how it affects legislation.
Roosevelt Forward CEO Felicia Wong says President Biden and congressional Democrats may be able to implement their economic priorities through laws they already passed, such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the CHIPS and Science Act.
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So what exactly is in the infrastructure bill?

Nov 8, 2021
And how exactly does it address the biggest challenges facing this economy?
President Joe Biden speaks Saturday, after the House passed the bipartisan infrastructure bill. It invests in climate-friendly transportation and addresses equity for marginalized communities, among other issues.
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When will we see the economic impact of new infrastructure spending?

Nov 8, 2021
There are shorter- and longer-term projects in Biden's $1 trillion plan. State and local governments will influence how it’s spent.
President Biden's $1 trillion plan invests in long-term infrastructure change, although state and local officials will have plenty of say in how the money is spent.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Democrats reach deal aimed at cutting drug prices for seniors

Nov 3, 2021
The limited plan would, for the first time, give Medicare the power to negotiate prices directly with pharmaceutical companies.
Medicare Advantage plans are becoming more and more popular, but what exactly do they entail?  We got the details from Dr. Fred Hyde, an independent consultant in health care finance and adjunct professor at Georgetown University.
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The origin of the U.S. debt ceiling

Nov 2, 2021
Congress is once again considering raising the debt limit. When did that start?
A sign at a Washington, D.C., bus stop showed the amount of the national debt on Oct. 25. The clock is ticking on another debt ceiling agreement to prevent a default.
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Paid family leave would be a paradigm shift for many workers

Oct 26, 2021
Even when the benefit is available, many Americans hesitate to use it. It's included in the Democrats' social-spending bill.
Though the Democrats' paid family leave proposal has been reduced from 12 weeks to four, it would still be a major change for Americans.
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