New Democrat Coalition Weekly Wrap 04/30/2021
This week marked 100 days in the Biden-Harris administration as President Joe Biden delivered an address to a joint session of Congress. The New Democrat Coalition (NDC) joined the White House in marking the notable shared accomplishments of the first 100 days and welcomed President Biden’s American Families Plan as a bold framework for how we can invest in better education, health care, and opportunities for all Americans.
NDC Members continued to advance the Coalition’s 100 Day Agenda and priorities to build back better, hosting meetings with Ways & Means Committee Chair Richard Neal and Energy & Commerce Committee Chair Frank Pallone. There was an active discussion about the legislative path forward on the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan and the NDC’s priorities on infrastructure, climate, health care, and more. NDC Members sit on key committees, making up nearly 50 percent of the membership of the Energy & Commerce Committee and nearly 45 percent of the Ways & Means Committee, and will be integral to the development and advancement of these priorities.
More on what New Dems have been up to below.
NDC Highlights
NDC Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01) issued a statement following President Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress: “The New Democrat Coalition is ready to work with congressional leaders and the White House to turn these ideas into law and show Americans that governance can still work… We cannot let this historic opportunity slip by unfinished.” Read the full statement.
NDC Joins White House in Highlighting Accomplishments in the First 100 Days
The NDC joined President Biden and the White House in marking notable accomplishments in the first 100 days of the new administration. In the 117th, New Democrats have endorsed and helped pass several substantive pieces of legislation that advance the NDC’s priorities outlined in our First 100 Day Agenda. New Dem Leadership also met with senior White House Officials last week to discuss the Coalition’s 100 Day Agenda and priorities in the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan.
NDC Members Meet with Energy & Commerce Committee Chair Frank Pallone
NDC Members hosted Energy & Commerce Committee Chair Frank Pallone to discuss the Coalition’s priorities in the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan. The NDC is committed to investing in resilience and combatting climate change, modernizing America’s infrastructure systems, and making health care more affordable.
NDC Members Meet with Ways & Means Committee Chair Richard Neal
NDC Members hosted Ways & Means Committee Chair Richard Neal to discuss the committee's agenda and the path forward for the NDC’s priorities in the upcoming American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan. New Dems support making building on the ACA toward universal access to affordable coverage and care, modernizing unemployment insurance and making the CTC expansions and enhancements in the American Rescue Plan permanent.
Featured Video
Davids Joins MSNBC’s The Last Word to Discuss the NDC’s Meeting with the White House
NDC Vice Chair Sharice Davids (KS-03) joined The Last Word to highlight the NDC’s recent meeting with senior White House officials to discuss our shared priorities for the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan and the NDC’s desire to get things done: “When we went to the White House as the New Democrat Coalition, one of the things we highlighted was the fact that we’re one of the largest caucuses in the United States Congress. When you’re talking about getting legislation across the finish line, you’ve got to be working with people who are willing to talk to anybody who is pushing for good policy.”
Bill Action
Senate Passes Pappas’s Bipartisan Legislation to Extend Fentanyl’s Designation as a Schedule I Drug
The Senate passed Rep. Chris Pappas’s (NH-01) legislation to extend the Drug Enforcement Agency’s temporary order to keep fentanyl-related substances in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act to ensure law enforcement can keep them off the streets. This is a designation used for substances with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. The bipartisan bill passed the House with unanimous support last week.
NDC Member Legislation
Peters Introduces Bipartisan, Fiscally Responsible Bill to Create a New Infrastructure Bank
NDC Vice Chair Scott Peters (CA-52) introduced the bipartisan Reinventing Economic Partnership and Infrastructure Redevelopment (REPAIR) Act to create jobs and build the new, 21st century infrastructure America needs to remain competitive. The bill establishes an infrastructure financing authority that complements existing funding mechanisms to provide loans and loan guarantees and expand overall infrastructure investment.
Kuster Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Help Save Seniors Billions in Drug Costs
NDC Vice Chair Annie Kuster (NH-02) introduced the bipartisan Ensuring Access to Lower-Cost Medicines for Senior Act to ensure Medicare beneficiaries receive the full benefit of affordable generic drugs.
Kilmer Introduces Bicameral Legislation to Tackle Long-Term Unemployment Crisis
NDC Chair Emeritus Derek Kilmer (WA-06) introduced the bicameral Long-Term Unemployment Elimination Act to create a subsidized jobs program in order to combat the long-term unemployment crisis in the United States. President Biden’s American Jobs Plan specifically endorses a subsidized jobs program for long-term unemployed and underemployed workers. The NDC has been pushing for modernization of unemployment insurance since the beginning of this crisis.
Reps. Rick Larsen (WA-02), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Seth Moulton (MA-06), and NDC Whip Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) introduced the bicameral Veteran Families Health Services Act to ensure that servicemembers’ and veterans’ fertility treatments, such as in vitro fertilization and counseling, are included as part of the health benefits they have earned.
Stanton Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Reauthorize and Reform the EB-5 Investor Visa Program
Rep. Greg Stanton (AZ-09) introduced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the EB-5 Regional Center Program, which supports job creation and promotes economic development in rural or high unemployment areas by incentivizing foreign capital investment. The bill would reauthorize the program—which is just 70 days away from expiration—through 2026 and provide additional transparency and integrity measures to improve accountability of applicants, Regional Centers, and economic development projects.
Allred Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Reinstate 48-hour Rule and Help Veterans Get Accurate Benefits
Rep. Colin Allred (TX-32) introduced the bipartisan Veterans Claims Transparency Act to reinstate and codify "the 48-hour rule" which allows a veteran's representative to review VA's preliminary determination of a veteran’s benefits 48 hours before finalizing the benefit determination.
NDC Member Action
Houlahan Joins Crystal Swann and Hilary Abell for PPI’s Radically Pragmatic Podcast
NDC Whip Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) joined Crystal Swann, Senior Policy Fellow, and Hilary Abell, Mosaic Economic Project Cohort member, for the Progressive Policy Institute’s (PPI) Radically Pragmatic podcast. They discuss the role of women in the new post-COVID economy, removing barriers to childcare, supporting access to capital for women of color seeking to become entrepreneurs, expanding access to affordable health care and more.
Plaskett Joins Will Marshall and Jeremiah Johnson for PPI’s Radically Pragmatic Podcast
NDC Leadership Member Stacey Plaskett (VI-AL) joined Will Marshall, President of PPI, and Jeremiah Johnson, Policy Director of New Liberalism, for the Radically Pragmatic podcast. They discuss the Coalition’s 100 Day Agenda and the need for continued coronavirus relief and recovery measures, especially for areas like the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Kind, DelBene Lead Effort to Establish New Tariff Exclusion Process
Rep. Ron Kind (WI-03) and NDC Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01) led over 100 Members, including 24 NDC Members, in sending a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Tai, urging the establishment of a new exclusion process that allows U.S. businesses to request relief from the Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports.
Rep. Chris Pappas (NH-01) sent a letter to House Leadership to work with the Small Business Administration to ensure that the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has sufficient funds to guarantee that all eligible entities that apply through the May 31, 2021 deadline are able to receive a loan.
NDC Leadership Member Stacey Plaskett (VI-AL) penned an op-ed in The Grio to discuss the urgent need for assistance for Caribbean nations, as they battle through the pandemic: “America must lead in the Western Hemisphere and provide some support to the Caribbean nations. We cannot allow China and other nations to lead and continue to gain a foothold in the region. We must have an immediate response that is both commensurate with our ability as a nation to provide a robust response to this humanitarian crisis and pragmatically oriented for our own national security.”
After Long Disappearance, Schneider’s Pet Labrador Is Home Safe
Following a week-long disappearance, NDC Leadership Member Brad Schneider’s (IL-10) yellow Labrador JoJo, was found and is safe at home.
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