Congressional Record

Sen. Joe Manchin and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer aimed to include provisions to reform permitting in the continuing resolution that must be passed by September 30th to avoid a government shutdown. However, they were unable to overcome the strong pushback from both progressive Democrats and Republicans against the proposal, despite agreement across parties that federal permitting processes for energy and infrastructure projects require reforms.

To dive deeper into this topic, check out this Prolegis Briefing:

- https://www.prolegis.com/briefings/energy-and-infrastructure-permitting

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Over the summer, airlines were regularly cancelling flights because they did not have enough staff to cover their scheduled flights, especially over holiday weekends. While the worst may be over, many are looking to the government to fix problems that contributed to this summer's difficulties for the future, but the government's authority is more limited than it once was.

To dive deeper into this topic, check out this Prolegis Briefing:

- https://www.prolegis.com/briefings/flight-or-fright-whats-going-on-in-commercial-aviation

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For many industries and workplaces, the pandemic pushed employers to create new normals for their workplace, whether that meant adjusting to a fully remote workforce or changing shifts to limit contact between employees. For some workers, the pandemic also meant they had a new opportunity to reevaluate their work-life balance. Now, some legislators are proposing a shortened workweek for all.

To dive deeper into this topic, check out this Prolegis Briefing:

- https://www.prolegis.com/briefings/four-day-workweek

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Growing medical debt is not a new issue, as millions of Americans have been burdened by unpaid bills for years. However, the issue has recently begun to receive attention from elected officials, with action occurring at both the federal and state levels.

To dive deeper into this topic, check out this Prolegis Briefing:

- https://www.prolegis.com/briefings/medical-debt-policy-issues

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The IRS estimates that it loses out on about $1 trillion in tax revenue every year because of tax evasion. Last month, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act, a climate, energy, and healthcare bill that also includes increased funding to the IRS to improve the agency’s ability to enforce tax laws as a means of paying for the legislation.

To dive deeper into the topic, check out this Prolegis Briefing:

- https://www.prolegis.com/briefings/irs-funding-and-tax-evasion-background-and-proposals

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TikTok has joined the ranks of Twitter and Facebook in just four years since it was launched. It faces many of the same challenges and critiques as these legacy social media platforms, but has faced additional scrutiny due to its connections with China. This episode, Prolegis' Jason Lemons talks with Geoff Cain about why TikTok’s data collection and storage is concerning to some policy makers and whether Congress will be taking any action soon.

For the full version of this interview, check out the video on Prolegis: https://hubs.la/Q01l0PLh0

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The Social Security program provides a monthly income to over 65 million retirees and people with disabilities. Many Americans have relied on the program since it was created by the New Deal in 1935, but young workers today fear whether the program will remain solvent for their retirement. Recently, the Social Security Administration’s annual report stated that it will not be able to pay the full amount of benefits by 2035.

To dive deeper into this topic, check out this Prolegis Briefing:

- https://www.prolegis.com/briefings/social-security-program-explainer

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Flooding is becoming a more frequent problem for Americans as extreme weather events like Hurricanes Maria and Harvey become more common. Sea level rise is putting more and more homes at risk of flooding, but residential and commercial developments continue to be built in flood-prone areas. With the National Flood Insurance Program up for reauthorization again this year, policymakers and disaster management experts are debating how to update it to reflect modern challenges.

To dive deeper into this topic, check out this Prolegis Briefing:

- https://www.prolegis.com/briefings/national-flood-insurance-program

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After the 2020 election, gaps in existing election law became clear when challenges were made on January 6. Since then, Congress has been negotiating how to reform elections, and how to update the Electoral Count Act, the 11887 law that dictates how electoral votes are counted by Congress. Last month, a bipartisan group of senators released a proposal on updating this law, among other reforms.

In this interview, we speak with Kevin Kosar about the specifics of the bipartisan proposal, but also what led to these negotiations and the bills’ political futures. Kevin Kosar is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. To learn more about the work Kevin does, check out his:

- Book titled "Congress is Overwhelmed: The Decline in Congressional Capacity and Prospects for Reform," https://tinyurl.com/yckte5bm

- His "Understanding Congress" podcast, https://www.aei.org/tag/understanding-congress-podcast/

- His Twitter account @kevinrkosar

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Enrollment in health insurance on the exchanges created under the Affordable Care Act skyrocketed in 2022. This was due in part to the expansion of subsidies to cover more enrollees and decrease rates through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

The subsidies were put in place for just two years, meaning they will be expiring at the end of this year. If the subsidies expire, nearly everyone with marketplace coverage will likely have to pay higher premiums next year, and some may no longer be able to afford their coverage. This looming subsidy cliff is one of the primary areas of focus for policymakers before the midterms.

To dive deeper into this topic, check out this Prolegis Briefing:

- https://www.prolegis.com/briefings/affordable-care-act-subsidies-background-and-policy