Approval of COVID-19 Relief Legislation
Congress passed the massive American Rescue Plan Act which provides $1.9 Trillion to respond to the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill was approved by narrow margins in both the House and Senate, with Republicans arguing that it would cost too much, especially during a time of historic budget deficits and national debt. In addition, they argued the bill spent nearly 90% of its dollars on matters unrelated to the pandemic. Democrats countered that, in addition to fighting the virus through public health and safety measures, the bill addresses major economic dislocations that have been brought on, and exacerbated by, the COVID-19 crisis.
The Senate approved its version of the bill early Saturday morning on a 50-49 vote after 25 hours of debate. Under Senate rules, a $15 minimum wage mandate that was approved by the House had to be dropped from the bill – but Democratic leaders in both chambers have vowed to bring the wage issue up later in the year. The House originally approved the bill on February 27th, but, because it was modified in the Senate, it was sent back to the House, which approved the final version today. President Joe Biden plans to sign the bill into law before making a televised address to the Nation Thursday night. The final bill can be viewed here. A 16-page summary from Senate Democrats can be found here.
The 628-page bill includes several measures that may be of interest to ISCPO members. Among them is a section called “food supply chain and pandemic agriculture response” (Section 1001). The bill also includes additional funding for the supply chain for vaccines, therapeutics and medical supplies (Section 2303), and money for Veterans Affairs supply chain modernization (Section 8003). In addition, the bill allocates $650 million for the Homeland Security Department’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to mitigate cybersecurity risks (section 4009).
In one of the most sweeping measures every approved by Congress, the bill also includes: strengthened public health measures; increased funding for COVID-19 vaccination and testing; economic relief for businesses and the unemployed; and financial assistance to state and local governments. All together, these provisions are intended to help speed recovery from the economic and health impacts of the pandemic – policies that may increase domestic and global economic activity to the benefit ISCPO members and their business partners. As the bill is implemented by the Biden Administration’s executive departments and agencies, we will report on any additional items of interest.
Action on Major Transportation Legislation Expected This Spring
Now that the COVID-19 relief legislation is approved, the White House and Democratic leaders in Congress are expected to assemble another massive legislative proposal based on President Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan – a key component of his presidential campaign last year. While the proposal will be a wide-ranging effort to further spur the economy through a variety of measures, one of its major priorities will be to rebuild the Nation’s aging infrastructure. In furtherance of this effort, the President held a White House meeting on March 4th with bipartisan members of Congress to discuss priorities for surface transportation legislation. Reports are that the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will begin hearings on major surface transportation legislation this Spring, with committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) saying, “It is time to get out of the 1950s and move forward on a transformational infrastructure bill that puts millions of people to work building the infrastructure of the 21st century…” The Senate is also expected to work on major infrastructure legislation, with the Environment and Public Works committee having already held a hearing on the issue. Needless to say, a far-reaching transportation bill could have a major impact on ISCPO members, so we will keep a close eye on details and developments.
Congress Looks at Cyber Threats
Last month, the House Homeland Security Committee held a hearing on cyber threats facing the Nation. According to Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS), “[t]he Federal government must work to raise the baseline cybersecurity posture across government entities and the private sector to reduce avoidable, opportunistic attacks.” (Emphasis added.) Thompson also said that the hearing was the first of many on this issue. The Senate Homeland Security Committee has also agreed that it will focus on cyber threats this spring. Hearings are frequently precursors to legislation, so as these committees continue their work on this issue, it will be important to understand the cyber security implications for the private sector, including ISCPO members. We will be monitoring these activities closely on behalf of the industry.
For more information, please contact Paul T. Kelly at pkelly@capitol-advocacy.com.