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Feb. 24, 2021 10:30AM EST
Josh Hawley to introduce minimum wage proposal tied to tax credits
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is jumping on the minimum wage bandwagon and will introduce an alternative to Democrats' proposal on Wednesday that would use federal dollars to increase low-earning workers' income, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Hawley, a Trump-style Republican who's considered a likely 2024 presidential contender, is breaking with the mainstream GOP orthodoxy in suggesting that he believes the federal minimum wage is too low.
- He's known now for his role in objecting to the certification of President Biden's election, but as a likely 2024 candidate, his proposal is worth watching for what it says about the shifts in Republican ideas.
The politics: Hawley plans to pitch "The Blue Collar Bonus" as a populist, pro-worker proposal.
- Hawley's team estimates it would likely cost roughly $200 billion, something traditional Republicans will balk at, though it hasn't been officially scored.
- Hawley told Axios he also would support a $15 minimum wage for workers of large corporations that generate at least $1 billion in annual revenue.
- The measure would also benefit low-wage workers who have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
The bill: Hawley is proposing a three-year program that would increase worker wages in 2021, paid by taxpayers rather than employers.
- Those making below $16.50 per hour would receive a refundable tax credit worth 50% of the difference, paid out in quarterly installments. The $16.50 could increase over time, as it would be tied to the Consumer Price Index.
- The credit would only apply to 40 hours or less of weekly work.
- Only American workers with valid Social Security numbers would be eligible, meaning non-U.S. citizens and undocumented immigrants would be excluded.
Between the lines: Hawley's plan would immediately be implemented in the 2021 tax year, expiring in 2024.
- The Democrats' plan to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour would be phased in by 2025. Same for a $10 per hour proposal released Tuesday by GOP Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.).
- Biden has promised to promote a standalone bill to raise the minimum wage.
What he's saying: "The bill is targeting folks who are making $34,000-$35,000 a year and less," Hawley said. "This is targeted toward people who have been the hardest hit, who are trying to get back on their feet."
- "Federal policy has helped create, over the last 30-40 years, flatlined wages for blue collar workers," he added. "We need to have a broader discussion about a number of those policy choices. A lot of it has to do with our trade policies, and the policies that we pursued with globalization, that have been very bad choices."
Foreseeable problems: The subsidy would disproportionally benefit those in states that have kept their minimum wages low.
- It's also an incredibly complicated bill, which could make it difficult for workers to properly estimate their take-home.
What's next: The Senate parliamentarian will decide as early as today whether Democrats’ provision can be included in the COVID stimulus package and voted on through budget reconciliation.
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Aug. 30, 2021 11:51PM EST
California's surging Caldor Fire sparks mandatory evacuations near Lake Tahoe
California's swelling Caldor Fire triggered another mandatory evacuation order for South Lake Tahoe on Monday, along with other communities near the region.
Driving the news: The order, effective Monday, affects more than 100,000 residents in El Dorado County. Traffic was gridlocked on Highway 50, as people fled South Lake Tahoe.
State of play: The blaze was continuing to expand within and near the Lake Tahoe Basin, with winds of up to 50 mph, per the National Weather Service.
The National Weather Service extended its red flag warning through Wednesday.
- Evacuation orders for communities in Amador County were issued Sunday night as the fire approached the Lake Tahoe Basin.
By the numbers: The Caldor Fire had grown to 177,260 acres on Monday, according to Cal Fire. It was 14% contained.
Our thought bubble, via Axios' Andrew Freedman:Climate change, along with decades of land management policies, is leading to larger wildfires in the West. It's also creating more frequent extreme fire weather conditions that lead to wildfires that are nearly impossible to contain.
- Nine out of 10 of California's largest wildfires on record have occurred since 2010.
- A sweeping UN-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report published this month found that the connection between human emissions of greenhouse gases and global warming is "unequivocal."
Editor's note: This article has been updated with details of the gridlocked traffic.
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Aug. 12, 2021 02:00PM EST
Biden administration to require COVID-19 vaccine for 25,000 federal health care workers
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday announced that it will require more than 25,000 members of its health care workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Why it matters: It's the latest federal agency to implement a vaccine mandate, joining the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Pentagon.
Driving the news: "Our number one goal is the health and safety of the American public, including our federal workforce, and vaccines are the best tool we have to protect people from COVID-19, prevent the spread of the Delta variant, and save lives," HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement.
- Health care and research staff who work at the Indian Health Service (IHS) or National Institutes of Health (NIH) and potentially interact with patients will be required to receive the vaccine.
- Members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps will also be required to receive the COVID vaccine.
The big picture: The IHS, NIH and the Commissioned Corps already require health care workers to receive the seasonal flu vaccine and other vaccinations, with a process for medical and religious exemptions. The same processes will be applied for the COVID-19 vaccine requirement.
- "As President Biden has said, we are looking at every way we can to increase vaccinations to keep more people safe, and requiring our HHS health care workforce to get vaccinated will protect our federal workers, as well as the patients and people they serve," Becerra said.
Go deeper: Pentagon will require all troops to get COVID vaccine by Sept. 15
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Aug. 04, 2021 10:33AM EST
"It's time": New York City revives the debate over vaccine passports
New York City yesterday became the first city in the U.S. to require proof of coronavirus vaccination for indoor dining and other leisure activities, a measure popular among public health experts but previously squashed by political backlash to "vaccine passports."
Why it matters: Employers and now local governments are starting to ensure that remaining unvaccinated will have consequences for everyday life, testing the resolve of those who say nothing could persuade them to get a shot.
Driving the news: New Yorkers soon must be fully vaccinated to dine indoors, visit gyms or participate in other indoor entertainment.
- Some restaurants and bars have voluntarily adopted such policies already, but New York has become the first government to mandate them.
- Denver recently announced that it will require city employees and private-sector workers in "high-risk settings" to be vaccinated, and New Jersey is also requiring some of the state's frontline workers to be vaccinated.
- Employer vaccine mandates have continued to spread like wildfire. Tyson Foods notably announced yesterday that it will require its workers to be vaccinated, even though around half of them currently are not, per the NYT.
The big picture: Several cities and states have recently brought back mask mandates following the CDC's recommendation that vaccinated people resume indoor mask-wearing in hotspots.
- New evidence suggests that vaccinated people can catch and transmit the virus, but the vast majority of the problem is among the unvaccinated —prompting complaints about vaccinated people being punished for the choices of the unvaccinated.
- Some experts say that the lack of a vaccine verification system meant that the CDC's decision to lift masking recommendations for the vaccinated was premature, as unvaccinated people would probably remove their masks as well.
Vaccine passports may be more effective than mask mandates.
- "The truth is that nothing we’ve done except vaccines has worked," said Georgetown Law professor Lawrence Gostin. "Vaccine mandates and a vaccine passport will absolutely get us back to normal."
Between the lines: Dropping the push for an easy digital vaccine verification system may look like a bad idea in retrospect, too.
- For now, most Americans' only proof of vaccination, should they need it, is their paper CDC card.
Yes, but: Employer vaccine mandates and vaccine passports, if they catch on, will eventually run into a red wall.
- Many GOP-led states preemptively put limitations on vaccine requirements for employees or the use of vaccine passports.
- It's unclear whether any other governments will take the New York City approach. President Biden said yesterday that he supports businesses that require vaccine verification, and that he thinks other cities should follow New York's lead.
What they're saying: "People are going to get a really clear message: if you want to participate in our society fully, you've got to get vaccinated. It's time," NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a press conference.
- He added that a blanket mask mandate could remove an incentive to get vaccinated, per the NYT.
What we're watching: There are hints that restrictions on the unvaccinated could increase once the vaccines are fully approved by the FDA.
- “It’s very difficult for us to come in and mandate a vaccine that isn’t even federally approved yet, the authorization hasn’t been final yet, so stay tuned,” Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC yesterday.
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