Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, policymakers instituted a moratorium on evictions, arguing that people needed to stay in their homes regardless of their ability to pay rent to control the spread of the disease and the economic impacts of lockdowns. A Congressionally instituted eviction moratorium, however, expired in July 2020. After Congress failed to pass an extension in time the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) then issued an emergency order keeping the moratoriums in place, citing the Public Health Service Act of 1944. That order proved controversial, pitting the welfare of renters against the potential income loss…

As COVID-19 began to surge again in late summer, so did the debate about mask mandates. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) relaxed its mask guidance in the spring when COVID numbers began to decline amid rising vaccinations. However, the agency reinstated recommendations for individuals, both unvaccinated and vaccinated, to wear masks indoors as cases began to rise again in July as the delta variant spread. The CDC’s guidance amplified the division among Americans about whether the government should be able to dictate safety precautions such as masks. The debate rang loud in Congress, where Attending Physician…

The federal gas tax, which hasn’t been raised since 1993, currently stands at 18.4 cents per gallon. Revenue from that tax funds improvements of U.S. roads, bridges and mass transit systems but has left the government short of all the money needed to keep transportation networks in a state of good repair. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Highway Trust Fund, which is largely funded by the gas tax, could be insolvent by the end of 2022. Now a bipartisan group of senators is proposing raising the federal gas tax to fund infrastructure improvements. Proposals to raise the tax…

The House voted in June to repeal the 2002 Iraq War authorization. The measure repealing the authorization to use military force (AUMF) passed by a vote of 268-161 and received overwhelming support from Democrats and 49 Republicans. The 2002 AUMF allowed the George W. Bush administration to invade Iraq over suspicions that the country was developing weapons of mass destruction. The invasion toppled former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s government but also led to what some have called a “forever war,” with American troops still in the country nearly two decades later. The 2002 AUMF came a year after Congress passed…

A record number of unaccompanied children reached the U.S. border in March 2021, more than the last record set in March 2019. The surge left the Biden administration scrambling to find an immediate solution to house and care for the migrant children and families while balancing its long-term immigration agenda. On his first day in office, President Joe Biden introduced a legislative framework that demonstrated that he would be taking a different approach to immigration issues than his predecessor, former President Donald Trump. Specifically, the U.S. Citizen Act of 2021 would provide an eight-year pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants,…

President Joe Biden announced this spring that he plans to raise the corporate tax rate to help fund his more than $2 trillion infrastructure bill. Supporters of the plan argued that it would help support American workers and families because corporations would be putting money back into the U.S. economy. Detractors of the higher tax rate, however, said that a greater tax burden on corporations could lead to job losses and a weakened economy. Under the Trump administration, the corporate tax rate was cut from 35% to 21%. Biden has announced he would increase the rate to 28%. Biden touted…

President Joe Biden took steps toward making good on a campaign promise to tackle student loan debt this spring. The move, however, faced critics from the left, with some saying the president had not gone far enough to help debt-burdened graduates, and the right, which argued that the government should not waive student debt. In March, the Biden administration announced that it would cancel $1 billion in student loan debt for 72,000 borrowers who attended schools that closed abruptly or that used illegal or deceptive practices. The move streamlined the process for borrowers applying for assistance after a Trump-era policy…

The Biden administration moved to help middle-income families with an expanded child tax credit included in the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that passed Congress in March. The American Rescue Plan increased the child tax credit from $2,000 to $3,600 per child under age six and $3,000 per child between the ages of 6 and 17 for one year. The credit will also be 100% refundable for one year. Half of the credit would be paid directly to families starting in July 2021, rather than being solely a credit applied to a family’s annual tax bill. (Although the American Rescue…

As the world continued to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic in the early months of 2021, U.S. health officials released guidance designed to help students get back into classrooms for in-person instruction. However, many opponents still argue that schools should stay closed until there is less chance of community spread of the virus or until all teachers have been vaccinated. In the guidance, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that schools in all areas, regardless of the current risk of COVID-19 infection, should require the use of masks, physical distancing of at least 6 feet as…

The Biden administration took steps in February to rescind one of its predecessor’s most controversial health care policies — Medicaid work requirements. Under the Trump administration, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) allowed states to apply for waivers that would require Medicaid enrollees to work, apply for jobs or take classes, typically for about 80 hours a month. The requirements were touted as a way to encourage heathy people to work and, thus, increase their standard of living. The Trump administration also said the requirements would keep Medicaid financially viable. Opponents, however, said the work requirements were unlawful…