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Begin New Search Topic Domestic Politics Author Committee for Economic Development of the Conference Board

1. American Families Plan

Author:
Committee for Economic Development of the Conference Board
Publication Date:
04-2021
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Conference Board
Abstract:
As the President indicated when he released his “American Jobs Plan” in March, he presented his “American Families Plan” on April 28, the day of his address to Congress. This new plan is additive with the previous one, and would spend (including through tax cuts—$1 trillion in spending strictly defined, and $800 billion in tax cuts) an additional $1.8 trillion, which is proposed to be financed by tax increases on upper-income individuals. (The $2 trillion American Jobs Plan was to be paid for by increased taxes on corporations.) Again, this plan is claimed to be fully paid for over 15 years, with continuing tax increases beyond that time providing net deficit reduction. The American Families Plan, as its name implies, focuses on expenditures and tax cuts for individuals and households, whereas most (but not all) of the American Jobs Plan financed either traditional infrastructure or private research or physical investment. Unless there is a new spirit of bipartisan cooperation, the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan will achieve enactment only if combined in a second and final reconciliation bill for the fiscal year 2022 budget enactment cycle, in a process that will surely take months.
Topic:
Infrastructure, Domestic Politics, Tax Systems, Investment, and Deficit
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

2. Voting Rights Issue Briefs

Author:
Committee for Economic Development of the Conference Board
Publication Date:
06-2021
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Conference Board
Abstract:
Two-thirds of eligible voters participated in the 2020 election, which represented the highest turnout in a national election since 1900, before women had the right to vote. More than 159 million Americans voted, the largest total voter turnout in our history and the first time more than 140 million individuals participated in an election. Turnout rose among all racial and ethnic groups, and for the first time a majority of Americans under the age of 30 cast ballots. This historic level of participation is more remarkable given that the election took place in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Topic:
Elections, Domestic Politics, Voting, and COVID-19
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

3. 2020 Election: Achieving a Safe, Accessible, and Credible Election during COVID-19

Author:
Committee for Economic Development of the Conference Board
Publication Date:
09-2020
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Conference Board
Abstract:
The 2020 general election is already underway, with absentee ballots being mailed out and collected in some states. And what seemed worryingly possible in the spring is now inevitable: the COVID-19 pandemic will be an important factor in the conduct of this fall’s election. Every community must address the public health threat and facilitate safe participation. Policymakers, election officials, and business leaders must ensure that voters need not choose between exercising their franchise and protecting their health, and that the election itself does not further spread COVID-19.1 The Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED) strongly believes that transparent, fair, and accessible elections are fundamental to the confidence of US citizens in their government and its leadership, and to the long-term health of the US economy. In May, June, and July, CED called on Congress to provide states with funding to conduct a safe, accessible, and credible election in the midst of a pandemic. With the election in progress, and Election Day less than two months away, the states and local communities, with or without federal support—including leaders in the business community—must act to meet those goals. As explained in this Solutions Brief, there is still time to protect voters and poll workers and maintain trust in the conduct and outcome of elections. Fortunately, effective measures are already in force in pockets of the country, with states and election officials needing only to replicate the best preparations and practices nationwide. This brief outlines recommendations policymakers should adopt to improve operations in their jurisdictions. Given the public health challenges involved, business leaders will also play a critical role in protecting their employees, customers, and communities during a successful election. To the extent possible, business leaders should take the concrete steps outlined in the brief to assist in the election effort.
Topic:
Elections, Economy, Business, Domestic Politics, and COVID-19
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

4. What to Expect: The Biden Health Care Program

Author:
Committee for Economic Development of the Conference Board
Publication Date:
11-2020
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Conference Board
Abstract:
During the primary campaign, Biden engaged in a lively debate over the future of the US health care system with the other Democratic contenders. No candidate for the Democratic nomination expressed satisfaction with the current system; the differences among the candidates centered on the degree of change that they advocated. The dissatisfactions of all of the candidates included the cost of and access to care, as well as the quality of care that Americans receive. Several of candidate Biden’s opponents advocated a fundamental shift to a “Medicare for All” program, which would abolish private insurance outright and instead put every American onto an administered-price, fee-for-service system like today’s traditional Medicare, with broad coverage of services (adding vision, dental and long-term care coverage) and no (or very low) deductibles and copayments. (Even the current popular Medicare Advantage program would be abolished, and all of its senior enrollees would be forced onto Medicare for All.) Then in the general election campaign, President Donald Trump tried to associate former Vice President Biden with the Medicare for All proposal, but the Vice President countered aggressively that he had campaigned and won against Medicare for All in the primaries.
Topic:
Health Care Policy, Elections, Domestic Politics, and Joe Biden
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America