Inflation is upending voter confidence and posing a glaring political liability that looms over the Biden administration’s major policy decisions.
Tag Archives: American Rescue Plan (2021)
Persistent Inflation Puts Yellen in the Spotlight
The Treasury secretary’s recent comments about rising prices have put the Biden administration on the defensive.
‘Spend This Money’: Biden Calls on States to Devote Stimulus Funds to Police
Ahead of the midterm elections, President Biden is making a forceful push to show he is a defender of law enforcement.
Loss of Pandemic Aid Stresses Hospitals That Treat the Uninsured
Hospitalizations from Covid-19 are receding, but safety-net providers are facing tremendous unmet needs from poor and uninsured patients who delayed seeking care during the pandemic.
Biden Has Already Done More for Rural America Than Trump
Democrats should let voters know about their successes — and run on Democratic values.
Rapid Inflation, Lower Employment: How the U.S. Pandemic Response Measures Up
The United States spent more on its policy response than other advanced economies. Now economists are revisiting how that worked.
Perils of Invisible Government
The American Rescue Plan is huge and yet little noticed.
If Biden’s Plan Is Like a ‘New Deal,’ Why Don’t Voters Care?
The $1.9 trillion pandemic-relief law unleashed a massive wave of spending on local construction projects and programs. Democratic candidates aren’t getting much credit.
For a Minute There, It Really Was No Child Left Behind
The death of Biden’s child tax credit expansion is an American tragedy. Can it be revived?
Europe’s Airports Face Chaos as Travelers Return
In recent weeks, travelers on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean have endured long lines at airports, flight delays or cancellations, and plenty of frustration. Is this the new normal?
A One-Woman Rescue Squad for Homeless Students in Rural Texas
The work of Norma Mercado, a Texas school system’s point person for dealing with homeless young people, is benefiting from a big but temporary surge in federal funding.
In a Michigan County, Stimulus Funds Are Remaking Public Health Programs
Many cities and counties say that shoring up local public health systems is crucial to recovering from the pandemic and addressing entrenched health disparities.
As Biden Pleads for More Covid Aid, States Are Awash in Federal Dollars
States pushed back on a plan to take back some of their stimulus money to fund President Biden’s emergency spending request. Now Congress is trying to find other ways to offset the cost.
How Rising Prices Are Affecting America’s Boom
The Fed, fiscal policy and food prices are putting the brakes on America’s boom.
I Keep Hoping Larry Summers Is Wrong. What if He’s Not?
The former Treasury secretary discusses inflation, a possible recession and how the Russia-Ukraine war might exacerbate both.
America’s Economy in the European Mirror
What spiking inflation Over There tells us about policy here.
Covid Stimulus Money Brings Clashes Within Cities and Counties
As communities across the United States receive pandemic relief money, fierce debates have erupted over priorities, and who has the power to set them.
Congress Clears $1.5 Trillion Spending Bill, Including Ukraine Aid
President Biden is expected to sign the measure, the first major spending bill since he took office.
IRS Plans to Hire 10,000 Workers to Clear Tax Return Backlog
More than 20 million returns remain unprocessed, the agency said.
The I.R.S. plans to hire 10,000 workers to clear a tax return backlog.
More than 20 million returns remain unprocessed, the agency said.
He Spent $57,000 in Covid Relief on a Pokémon Card. Now the U.S. Owns It.
The mint Charizard trading card will be auctioned off with other fraudulently obtained luxury items seized by the U.S. Marshals. Its former owner was sentenced to three years in prison.
The Democrats Have Bigger Problems Than the Squad
Having immobilized the president’s agenda and plunged their party into disarray, moderate and conservative Democrats are casting around for someone to blame.
Black Farmers Fear Foreclosure as Debt Relief Remains Frozen
Lawsuits from white farmers have blocked $4 billion of pandemic aid that was allocated to Black farmers in the American Rescue Plan.
Why an Arizona County Turned Down $1.9 Million in Covid Relief
Two Republican supervisors voted to reject the federal money, frustrating health care workers in rural Cochise County.
Biden’s Hidden Health Care Triumph
Blockbuster enrollments are good news — but will poltiics kill progress?
Explaining the Claim About the Biden Administration and ‘Crack Pipes’
Conservatives have homed in on a specific provision in an overdose prevention grant program to make a misleading claim about crack pipes.
Modern Monetary Theory Got a Pandemic Tryout. Inflation Is Now Testing It.
Modern Monetary Theory, the buzziest economic idea in decades, got a pandemic tryout of sorts. Now inflation is testing its limits.
I.M.F. Forecasts U.S. and China Slowdowns Will Hold Back Growth
The International Monetary Fund forecasts that the growth rate of the world economy will slow to 4.4 percent in 2022.
President Biden’s Economy Is Failing the Big Mac Test
The administration made a lot of the right economic moves in its first year, but high inflation is reason enough to postpone any celebrations.
Arizona Sues to Stop Treasury From Recouping Relief Funds
Gov. Doug Ducey has been using federal pandemic aid to undermine school mask requirements, which Treasury said violated the law.
Economic Trends Aren’t What They Used to Be
Why the trend has not been our friend.
Federal Funds Will Go to Online Tutoring Despite Pandemic Failures
Federal stimulus dollars are dedicated to helping students recover from virtual schooling. Many districts are spending some of that money on virtual tutoring.
The View From the White House
Ron Klain, President Biden’s chief of staff, reflects on the first year of the administration.
With Broad Safety Net Bill Stalled, Democrats Weigh What to Salvage
As discussions resumed over how to whittle down Democrats’ marquee plan, Senator Joe Manchin, a key holdout, said any talks would be “starting from scratch.”
This Isn’t the Presidency Biden Imagined for Himself
The problems the president is facing are an almost perfect inversion of the problems Obama faced.
The Secret Triumph of Economic Policy
Why Covid-19 cost us fewer jobs than the dot-com bust.
2021’s Overlooked Economic Recovery
A closer look at a recovery for the record books.
Democrats Blast Corporate Profits as Inflation Surges
Politicians are placing more blame on greedy companies as prices stay high. But booming consumer demand is enabling firms to charge more.
Child Tax Credit’s Extra Help Ends, Just as Covid Surges Anew
A pandemic benefit that many progressives hoped to make permanent has lapsed in a congressional standoff. Researchers say it spared many from poverty.
What We Learned About the Economy in 2021
For once, the government tried overheating the economy. For better and worse, it succeeded.
How a Relief Fund for Restaurants Picked Winners and Losers
First, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund was supposed to promote equity. Then the grants were meant to be first come first served. Both ways had problems.
On More Generous Terms, Obamacare Proves Newly Popular
Record sign-ups, even in states that had resisted expanding health coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
Obamacare Sign-Ups Reach Record as Virus Rocks Job-Based Coverage
Thanks to increased subsidies, new advertising, and a reshaped insurance landscape, 13.6 million Americans have enrolled in plans for 2022. Enrollment continues until Jan. 15.
The New Pentagon Papers: Civilian Casualties
Readers call for Pentagon accountability for the killing of civilians. Also: Julian Assange; Republican hypocrisy; two-family homes.
How Four Families Used the Child Tax Credit
The monthly payments of up to $300 per child put food on the table, paid bills and even went toward the occasional splurge.
The Year of Inflation Infamy
Maybe the real takeaway should be how little we know about where we are in this strange economic episode.
Republicans Who Assailed Biden’s Stimulus Bill Are Embracing the Money
Republican governors who criticized the $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill as wasteful are championing state projects funded by the money.
So You Lost the Election. We Had Nothing to Do With It.
Why is it that progressives are always blamed when moderates lose?
American Families Are Drowning in Care Costs. Here’s How to Change That.
Ai-jen Poo on the economic potential of a public investment in child care, elder care and paid family leave.