
Fred Wang is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s news and commentary, a major spending bill passes the Senate, while the labor market exceeds analyst expectations — and then some.
More big news from Washington. The $740 billion climate, health-care, and tax bill that Kevin teed up over the weekend passed the Senate yesterday afternoon, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote. Half of that money will fund clean-energy projects and initiatives — “one of the single biggest investments ever made on climate in the world.” Although a significant achievement, the Inflation Reduction Act, Axios explains, “is far less ambitious than most Democrats wanted” — no doubt because anything bigger would have scared away the Party’s two centrist members, Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema.
But not every part of the spending bill came out unscathed. A plan to control drug prices for Americans with private health insurance was cut after the Senate parliamentarian decided that it was not closely related to the federal budget. That exclusion, Alice Ollstein of Politico writes, means “there is little left that will reduce costs for the vast majority of Americans who receive health insurance through their private sector employer.” The same thing happened to a provision capping out-of-pocket spending on insulin to $35 for patients enrolled in private insurance.
Of course, the parliamentarian’s opinion, as Matt Bruenig at People’s Policy Project has argued, is just that — an opinion. “The presiding officer” — here, Vice President Harris — “has the sole authority to sustain or dismiss a point of order. The parliamentarian has no formal role at all.” The bill now goes to the House, where it is expected to pass.
The U.S. labor market continues to post surprisingly strong numbers, the latest Labor Department figures confirm. The U.S. economy added 528,000 jobs last month. That’s over twice (!!) as many jobs as analysts had forecasted. Plus, the unemployment rate fell to just 3.5%, matching its lowest level in the last 50 years. This “blistering pace of growth,” the New York Times explains, makes for a “befuddling benchmark considering other recent signs of a slowing economy, including a falling gross domestic product and a more sedate housing market.”
Daily News & Commentary
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May 22
BLS releases statistics on foreign-born workers; courts vacate EEOC protections; SCOTUS considers takings case.
May 21
Supreme Court grants the Trump Administration the ability to end Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelan immigrants; a federal judge permits airline customer service agents to pursue litigation rather than arbitration in a wage dispute; and NLRB prosecutors limit when they seek consequential remedies for unfair labor practices.
May 19
Schedule F comment period ends this week; Wilcox's reinstatement case is back before D.C. Circuit; NLRB removal protection case runs into jurisdictional problem; NJ locomotive strike ends in success.
May 18
In today’s news and commentary, the DC Circuit lifts a preliminary injunction on Trump’s collective bargaining ban for federal workers; HHS, DOL and Treasury pause a 2024 mental health parity regulation; and NJ Transit workers continue into the third day of a historic strike. In a 2-1 decision issued on Friday, the D.C. Circuit overturned […]
May 16
Supreme Court hears a case about universal injunctions; Champion of workers' rights announces run for Colorado Attorney General; Sesame Street is officially union!
May 15
Unions in Colorado urge Governor Polis to sign Senate Bill 5; more than 1200 Starbucks workers go on strike; and IATSE calls on President Trump to reinstate Shira Perlmutter.