Senate Democrats agreed this week to work toward a $3.5 trillion reconciliation package, which would fund major programs President Joe Biden proposed in his economic plans. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman discuss the plan, Democratic unity around the package and the likely long voting sessions ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 16, 2021•21 min
Both chambers are expected to debate and vote on a fiscal 2022 budget resolution with reconciliation instructions, while the Senate is planning to vote on the bipartisan infrastructure package and the debt limit suspension set to expire at the end of the month. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and Niels Lesniewski discuss everything to look out for in a packed July. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 09, 2021•22 min
The Biden administration has reached an agreement with a group of bipartisan senators on an infrastructure package, but issues remain. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman discuss the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 25, 2021•17 min
Senate Democrats are preparing to draft a fiscal 2022 budget resolution with up to $6 trillion in reconciliation spending during the next decade. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman break down what this means for bipartisan talks on an infrastructure package and the path through reconciliation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 18, 2021•19 min
House Democrats are preparing to approve a roughly $1.5 trillion total discretionary spending level in a deeming resolution so appropriators can begin work on the fiscal 2022 spending bills. But partisanship is leaving the fate of these spending bills up in the air. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman break down the major spending level debates that will play out over the next couple of months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 11, 2021•19 min
Democrats plan to remove the Hyde amendment from the House appropriations measure, igniting a battle with Republicans. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and Sandhya Raman break down the impending fight over federal abortion funding in Congress, looking at the Hyde amendment, the Helms amendment and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 04, 2021•15 min
June and July are going to be busy for lawmakers as Congress looks to tackle a budget resolution, appropriations bills, debt limit legislation, infrastructure and more. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman break down the next few months and look at how the Capitol Hill security spending bill may be in the mix. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 21, 2021•21 min
Negotiations on a bipartisan infrastructure compromise gained new momentum after President Biden met this week with GOP senators. The one thing everyone agrees on is that both sides want a bipartisan agreement. CQ Roll Call's Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman explain where things stand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 14, 2021•17 min
Lawmakers are bracing for a hectic few months, with President Biden’s budget request expected by Memorial Day, House committee markups in June, and a potential reconciliation bill for Biden’s infrastructure, education and child care plans. CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Peter Cohn discuss everything coming down the pike over the next few months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 07, 2021•23 min
President Joe Biden outlined his plan for spending big on key areas in his prime-time address to Congress, calling for over $4 trillion in new spending with tax hikes on corporations and upper-income households. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman discuss the hurdles Democrats will face trying to pass the proposal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 30, 2021•19 min
Senate Republicans unveiled a five-year, $568 billion infrastructure proposal on Thursday that they hope can be a starting point for negotiations with Democrats. Senate Budget Chairman Bernie Sanders says the proposal “goes nowhere near what has to be done to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure.” CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman discuss the disconnect between the parties and the likelihood of this being a bipartisan effort or a package that Democrats have to pass through reconcili...
Apr 23, 2021•18 min
Democrats are struggling to decide whether to pursue a bipartisan infrastructure bill or go it alone through another budget reconciliation process. Some are advocating a two-step strategy that combines both approaches, but skeptics abound as Republicans prepare their own slimmed-down version. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman break down the current state of play over one of President Biden’s top initiatives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 16, 2021•18 min
The Biden administration on Friday released its wish list for discretionary spending for fiscal 2022. The proposal would boost non-defense spending by 16 percent and defense spending by 1.7 percent over current funding levels. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman discuss the details of the plan, the winners and the losers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 09, 2021•17 min
The Biden administration says its $2 trillion infrastructure plan would boost the economy, fight climate change and address racial inequity. But Republicans are already pushing back, arguing that an increase in taxes to pay for the measure would slow down the economy. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman discuss the ins and outs of the bill and the likelihood of it being a bipartisan effort versus Democrats going through the reconciliation process. Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...
Apr 02, 2021•18 min
The Biden administration is set to share an outline of a fiscal 2022 discretionary budget request next week, kicking off the annual budget and appropriations process. CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt break down what to expect from it and how it will impact the budget and appropriations process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 26, 2021•19 min
The House Republican Conference will allow its members to submit earmark requests, ending a decade-old prohibition. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman discuss whether Senate Republicans will follow suit and what earmarks mean for the appropriations process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 19, 2021•19 min
The House is set to vote on the revised $1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid bill as soon as Wednesday with the votes expected be on party lines. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman discuss the changes to the bill, the timeline for its passage and what this means for the Democrats fight against poverty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 09, 2021•17 min
Now that the House has passed President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid bill, the Senate will take it up this week in what is likely to be a party-line vote. But the Senate may make changes to the bill, such as scrapping an increase to a $15 minimum wage and shifting $350 billion for states and localities. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman break down the latest on the bill and look ahead to the upcoming vote-a-rama in the Senate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...
Mar 02, 2021•18 min
Neera Tanden, the nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget, is facing an uphill battle to get confirmed after multiple senators, including West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin III, came out against her nomination. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman break down where the opposition comes from, what her chances of getting confirmed are and who would be a likely replacement if the White House can’t get enough votes to confirm her. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...
Feb 23, 2021•17 min
The House Budget Committee is set to assemble the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package this week through the budget reconciliation process. CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Paul M. Krawzak discuss the latest around the relief measure and look ahead to other parts of the reconciliation process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 16, 2021•20 min
House Democrats are barreling ahead with the budget reconciliation process, with committees spending the week marking up their portions of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan. But major changes are coming — with tax rebate checks aimed at lower-income households and additional aid for restaurants and airlines. And a Congressional Budget Office price tag of $54 billion for the $15 minimum wage proposal puts that provision at risk. CQ Roll Call’s Peter Cohn and David Lerman di...
Feb 09, 2021•17 min
Ten Republican senators released a $618 billion COVID-19 relief plan before meeting with President Joe Biden on Monday. Their alternative package cuts many Democratic priorities. Meanwhile, Democrats released a budget resolution to fast-track their COVID-19 relief bill through the budget reconciliation process — a move House Republicans are expected to reject. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman discuss how these recent moves will affect the chances of bipartisan cooperation on COVID-...
Feb 02, 2021•18 min
Republicans are already signaling that they don’t support the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan, potentially forcing Democrats to pass it through budget reconciliation. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman discuss the state of COVID-19 aid talks, how this is President Biden’s first big test and the timetable Republicans have to strike a bipartisan deal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 26, 2021•18 min
The Biden administration has put forth a $1.9 trillion proposal for COVID-19 relief. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman break down what is in the proposal and talk about what the trajectory is for passing the bill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 19, 2021•14 min
With slim majorities in the House and Senate, Democrats are likely going to rely heavily on budget reconciliation to pass major legislation. What is budget reconciliation and how does it work? CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt break it down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 12, 2021•18 min
The House adopted its rules package for the 117th Congress on Monday. The rules remove fiscal constraints on deficit-increasing legislation as long as it is related to the COVID-19 response or climate change. CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt discuss what the rules change means and the rift it exposes between moderate and progressive Democrats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 05, 2021•16 min
CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt discuss the $1.4 trillion spending package, breaking down what’s in it and where the $900 billion in COVID-19 relief is going. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 22, 2020•20 min
Lawmakers are close to releasing text on a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending package which keep the government funded for the next year. But despite hope that COVID-19 relief might be a part of the spending package, key stumbling blocks still remain. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman discuss the state of the spending package and what stumbling blocks lay ahead for a deal on COVID-19 relief. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 15, 2020•16 min
The $908 billion bipartisan plan for COVID-19 aid, which left many optimistic of a deal last week, is now being held up again over the fine print. Among the chief concerns for both parties are liability protections for businesses and state and local aid. CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt discuss where the parties stand on the issues holding up COVID-19 aid and when we could expect a deal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 08, 2020•15 min
President-elect Joe Biden has selected Neera Tanden to be White House budget director. She would be the first woman of color to oversee the Office of Management and Budget. As a former Clinton aide and president of the Center for American Progress, Tanden is stirring up opposition from the GOP and even the far left, and she just may be the first Biden nominee to have an uphill battle to get confirmed. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman discuss why that is, where she lands on the poli...
Dec 01, 2020•15 min