Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill is good policy – and good politics

The Senate is set to pass a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill with bipartisan support. In this Q&A, Julie Norman explains what’s in the bill, what it means for Biden, and what’s next for Democrats – who are also pushing another infrastructure bill

In passing Covid-19 relief, appeasing party moderates was more important to congressional Democrats than pursuing bipartisan compromise.

With Congressional approval of the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, US President Joe Biden is poised to sign his first major piece of legislation this week. Julie Norman explains what’s in the bill, and what both the policies and the process tell us about how Biden and Congressional Democrats are likely to govern

What to watch in Virginia and New Jersey’s off-year elections this week

The 2022 midterms are over a year away, but Election Day 2021 still matters, writes Julie Norman. With gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey and mayoral races in 40 major cities, both parties will be using this Tuesday’s elections to shape their narratives and inform their trajectories in the months ahead

Why the Democrats are continuing with Trump’s impeachment, even if conviction now seems unlikely.

This week the House of Representatives officially delivered the article of impeachment to the Senate, accusing former President Donald Trump of inciting insurrection. Julie Norman gives an overview of what will happen next

Biden’s G-7 trip is about repairing international relationships and reviving US support for multilateralism

Joe Biden’s first overseas trip as president begins this week with the G-7 summit in the UK. Julie Norman writes that Biden’s has two aims for this trip: shoring up relationships with allies to promote US multilateralism, and reaffirming democratic values among the G-7, NATO, and the EU in opposition to China and Russia

Biden’s Putin call is only one part of his big week for democracy

This week President Biden is taking steps to promote democracy abroad, culminating in a two-day global virtual Summit for Democracy. In an overview of Biden’s democracy week, from a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Ukraine, a US government boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics and the summit itself, Julie Norman comments that Biden’s foreign policy activities in this area are underscored by accusations of democratic backsliding at home

Trump’s intransigence won’t change the election result. But it’s still dangerous for security and democracy.

Despite the 2020 presidential election being called for now President-elect Joe Biden on Saturday, President Trump has refused to concede, and many in his administration are actively working to obstruct the transition to the Biden administration. Julie Norman writes that the actions of Trump and his enablers may have real consequences for the security of the country, and risk causing long lasting damage to many Americans’ trust in the electoral system

The results of the Georgia runoff elections show just how much of a liability Trump has become for Republicans

The upset Georgia Senate runoff election victories last week of Democrat Raphael Warnock over Republican Kelly Loeffler and Democrat challenger Jon Ossoff over incumbent Republican David Perdue puts Democrats back in charge of the Senate for the first time since 2014. Julie Norman writes that the victories also highlight the impact of grassroots voter mobilisation efforts by Democrats, while raising questions for Republicans about the electoral limits of aligning with Trump, even before the shadow of the Capitol riot

Medicaid Expansion: Changes in Individual Health Outcomes

The Affordable Care Act is one of the biggest changes in the American healthcare system in the 21st century. One element of the ACA is medicaid expansion, which opened up federal funding for states to cover any individual earning below 138% of the federal poverty line. 21 states expanded medicaid in 2014 while 12 haven’t expanded. This paper utilizes the disparity for a natural experiment to determine the efficacy of the program. Outcome variables of interest include measurements of individual health, health access and utilization, and premature death rates. The results indicate positive, but small improvements due to the policy, with the only statistically significant results being two measurements of individual health

One year into his presidency, Biden is down but not out

At the one year anniversary of Joe Biden’s inauguration, the President’s approval ratings are at their lowest point yet, with COVID-19 lingering, inflation rising, and key legislation stalled. With the 2022 midterms less than a year away, moderate and progressive Democrats alike are calling for a reset. Is that still possible? In this Q&A, Julie Norman discusses the highs and lows of Biden’s presidency thus far, and the outlook for the administration moving forward