American Rescue Plan (2021)
White House Struggles to Talk About Inflation, the ‘Problem From Hell’
WASHINGTON — President Biden was at a private meeting discussing student debt forgiveness this year when, as happens uncomfortably often these days, the conversation came back to inflation. “He said with everything he does, Republicans are going to attack him and use the word ‘inflation,’” said Representative Tony Cárdenas, Democrat of California, referring to Mr. […]
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Loss of Pandemic Aid Stresses Hospitals That Treat the Uninsured
“It’s horrible,” he said. Dr. Philip Elizondo, his orthopedic colleague, said the hospital had to cancel minor surgeries for health problems that subsequently ballooned. One uninsured woman he treated had torn her meniscus, lost her job and lost her house. Dr. Elizondo said he could have performed a 20-minute surgery if the patient had been […]
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If Biden’s Plan Is Like a ‘New Deal,’ Why Don’t Voters Care?
RICHMOND, Va. — As Chris Frelke surveyed the Thomas B. Smith Community Center, he conceded that the beige-and-green cinder block structure was not much to look at. But Mr. Frelke, the parks director in Virginia’s capital, spoke with excitement describing the image in his mind’s eye: One day, there would be a pristine new complex […]
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A One-Woman Rescue Squad for Homeless Students
“The fact that there’s this cadre of liaisons who are committed to the program has pushed schools to pay more attention to homeless kids,” said Maria Foscarinis, a longtime housing advocate who lobbied for the 1987 law. While only about 57 percentof homeless children were enrolled in school when the law passed, the share soon […]
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In a Michigan County, Stimulus Funds Are Remaking Public Health Programs
LANSING, Mich. — In an underserved neighborhood of Michigan’s capital city, a health clinic is being built with nearly $900,000 in federal pandemic relief funds, a project that could transform the community’s access to care. Wedged among new affordable apartments and a community center, the clinic is a symbol of the rapid effect the funds […]
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The Student Loan Pause Is Being Extended Again
Such comments have left debt-cancellation advocates torn between optimism and frustration. “If they’re not going to do it, that gives false hope to borrowers,” said Natalia Abrams, the founder of the Student Debt Crisis Center, a nonprofit advocacy group. The timing of the restart — just two months before the midterm elections — sets up […]
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As Biden Pleads for More Covid Aid, States Are Awash in Federal Dollars
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear has been toting oversize checks around his state in recent weeks, handing them out to city and county officials for desperately needed water improvements. The tiny city of Mortons Gap got $109,000 to bring running water to six families who do not have it. The people of Martin County, […]
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Covid Stimulus Money Brings Clashes Within Cities and Counties
Dutchess County residents were similarly agitated, if less rowdy, at their June 14 meeting about the stadium. Guidance on using the funds issued by the Treasury Department specifically cited stadiums as “generally not reasonably proportional to addressing the negative economic impacts of the pandemic.” So why, those in attendance asked, was this happening? Marc Molinaro, […]
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Bracing for Losses, Democrats Look to Biden for a Reset
PHILADELPHIA — House Democrats planned a retreat here this week hoping for a reset after a difficult period during which President Biden has been buffeted by rising gas prices, soaring inflation and sagging approval ratings. Instead, they arrived in buses in the middle of the night after the president’s latest coronavirus aid package had collapsed […]
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