The House continues to be in a committee work week and will reconvene on Tuesday, May 11th for votes.
The Senate met at 10 a.m. and will take up the nomination of Jason Scott Miller for deputy OMB director for management and the nomination of Janet McCabe for deputy EPA administrator. The Senate is also expected to take up the nomination of Colin Kahl to be Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. The Senate will then begin work on S.914, Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021. This legislation, the first infrastructure bill advanced by a Senate Committee this Congress, will strengthen drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, foster economic growth, enhance the health and well-being of families across the nation, and address environmental justice. The bill makes significant investments in Environmental Protection Agency grant programs and revolving loan funds that support our nation’s water infrastructure. This bill will authorize the investment of more than $35 billion in water infrastructure projects across the country that focus on upgrading our aging infrastructure, addressing the threat of climate change, investing in new technologies, and providing assistance for marginalized communities.
Despite some hints of bipartisanship, the parties remain far apart on infrastructure and other issues as President Biden nears his 100th day in office and seeks to press his agenda, including a next wave of spending on antipoverty and education programs he wants to be paid for by higher taxes on the wealthy. Reports say the plan will cost about $1.8 trillion, which could fuel Republican criticism about spending by Democrats. On Wednesday, Mr. Biden will urge Congress to get behind his spending proposals while calling for the passage of legislation to address police misconduct. He is also expected to outline the points of his next major spending plan in greater detail.
For today, at 1:15 p.m., President Biden is poised to make remarks on the nation’s response to the coronavirus pandemic as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) prepares to roll out updated guidelines for Americans who are fully vaccinated. The announcement could give separate recommendations for fully vaccinated people and those who have not received a coronavirus vaccine. The guidance is still being finalized but is likely to ease recommendations that Americans wear masks even while outdoors. Biden is expected to outline the changes and more broadly address where the country stands in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. reported Monday having administered 230,768,454 doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
President Biden also plans to sign an executive order today raising the minimum wage paid by federal contractors to $15 an hour, the latest in a set of ambitious pro-labor moves at the outset of his administration. The new minimum wage is expected to take effect next year and is likely to affect hundreds of thousands of workers, according to a White House document. The current minimum is $10.95 under an order that President Barack Obama signed in 2014. Like that order, the new one will require that the new minimum wage rise with inflation.
