It’s Infrastructure Week and President Biden wants you to stop and take notice
The week builds on work House Democrats started last year to uplift these investments to constituents who may be unaware who made them possible—or that they were signed into law to begin with.
👋🏾 Hi, hey, hello! Welcome back to Once Upon a Hill, a newsletter about the obvious and obscure ways Congress impacts how you work and live. I’m Michael Jones and I want to hear from you: Send me your tips, questions and general feedback to michael@onceuponahill.com or via direct message below—I’m all eyes. Need an extra layer of security? I have Signal, WhatsApp, and Telegram too.
In today’s issue: Notes on the House’s toothless focus on law and order this week, how President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision and two top lawmakers’s plan to remove a 28-year-old shield tech companies have used to protect themselves from civil liability for user-generated content.
But first things first: Let’s discuss the White House’s week of programming to promote one of the president’s major legislative achievements —and if it’ll help him break through to voters with less than six months to go until Election Day.
The White House rarely misses a moment to remind Americans of how it believes former President Donald Trump over-promised and under-delivered.
And no issue greater encapsulates this disconnect than infrastructure.
Trump kicked off his first summer in office by announcing a lofty goal of rebuilding the nation’s roads, bridges and broadband networks. But to let Bidenworld tell it, Infrastructure Week was nothing more than a punchline until the current president, most congressional Democrats and a handful of Republicans came together to enact a $1.2 trillion bill now known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
This week, the administration will deploy cabinet and high-level officials across the country to promote the nearly $454 billion in funding for over 56,000 projects and awards that it says will benefit communities for decades to come.
Beyond the flurry of White House travel, the Regional Leadership Council, a 12-member group of House Democrats appointed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) in 2023, has been at work empowering their colleagues to spread the word about these investments to constituents who may be unaware that the president and Democrats made them possible—or oblivious that they were signed into law in the first place.
A senior administration official told Once Upon a Hill that White House Deputy Chief of Staff Natalie Quillian has met with the RLC several times to keep it updated on our implementation progress and worked with the RLC members to support them as they get out in their communities and discuss how the law is supporting their constituents.
“We think it's hugely important for elected officials, both members of Congress who participated in helping get this bill drafted and negotiated in the past, as well as state and local officials to be out there in their communities, talking to the people who are benefiting from those projects,” the official said. And that’s everyone from the construction workers that are working on the projects, the folks in the community that are going to benefit from having safer water, higher-speed internet and better transportation.”
Jeffries said in a statement to OUAH that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has delivered real and transformational change under the leadership of Chair Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and through an implementation strategy designed to be comprehensive, equitable and robust.
Hoyer said in a separate statement that the RLC is closely coordinated with the White House to ensure that all Americans—regardless of zip code—feel the positive impact of the policies and programs Democrats passed and Biden signed into law.
“Promoting equity and advancing environmental justice were central components when I helped develop and pass these bills as Majority Leader, and they remain top priorities as I work to implement the entire Investing in America agenda as chair of the Regional Leadership Council,” he added. “With every bridge built, road laid, lead pipe replaced, airport expanded, and project funded, Democrats show how we continue to put People Over Politics to deliver results—not just during Infrastructure Week but year-round.”
The senior administration official said the White House tends to hold these weeks about every six months to celebrate the progress it has made and bring together labor and business stakeholders, including the American Society of Civil Engineers and United for Infrastructure, which will sponsor events throughout the week.
However, despite his administration's dedicated programming and the law's broad popularity among Americans, the president has yet to receive a meaningful political payoff.
An April poll from Politico and Morning Consult found just 44 percent of registered voters say they have seen, read or heard at least some about the infrastructure law with three in every 10 saying they’ve heard none at all.
More than half of the respondents said the law has had no impact or a minor impact on their communities. 18 percent had no opinion.
Perhaps worst for the president: Almost as many voters credit Trump for the infrastructure improvements and jobs created under the law. The silver lining? Biden has a slight edge in the presidential battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
And remember the more than $450 billion in awards I noted at the top? Just $125 billion—less than 20 percent—has actually been spent.
A second senior administration official noted that the infrastructure law’s investments are different from the stimulus dollars passed during the COVID-19 recovery. And the first official added that over 90 percent of the resources in this law are actually spent and delivered by state and local partners.
“We are working as quickly as possible while also being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars,” the official said. “Over the last two and a half years since the bill was enacted, we’ve taken unprecedented steps to stand up hundreds of new programs, get funding out the door and make sure we’re doing it in a responsible way that really leaves no community behind.”
More than a few Republicans who opposed the legislation have touted these investments as outcomes of their legislative maneuvering in Washington instead of fair implementation by the executive branch. (Lawmakers will often tell reporters that rejecting a bill doesn’t mean you dislike all the provisions within it.)
The first official said every state—red and blue—has willfully accepted resources from the law and each governor has appointed an infrastructure coordinator to ensure their state is receiving its fair share.
“As you would imagine, there are policy differences across the states, but every state is spending their money and involved in this great national project.”
The official also said the White House doesn’t overlook the number of members who voted against the infrastructure or other key elements of President Biden’s economic agenda but are still taking victory laps.
“But the president is a president for all Americans,” they said. “He is committed to govern for all Americans and we are providing and distributing resources and funding to communities all across the country.”
HOUSE LAW-AND-ORDER WEEK • The House is expected to consider a package of law enforcement- and border-related bills as GOP leadership looks to shore up its law-and-order bonafides and disunite Democrats ahead of the November general election.
The measures include legislation that would allow certain and active cops to carry guns in designated public places, require Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain undocumented immigrants who assault law enforcement officers until they are deported from the US and block police reforms passed by Washington, DC’s city council. The House will also take up bills focused on officer mental health and wellness, condemning calls to defund the police and blasting President Biden’s immigration policies.
Additionally, members will likely vote on a resolution denouncing President Biden’s threat to withhold certain weapons from Israel if it launches a full-scale invasion into southern Gaza without a plan to prevent mass civilian casualties.
The House Rules Committee will meet on Tuesday afternoon to prepare the bills for consideration.
Finally, the House will need to join the Senate in reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration so the president can sign the five-year legislation into law by the end of the week.
HOUSE E&C LEADERS PITCH BILL TO NIX INTERNET SHIELD • House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) released draft text of a bill that would sunset Section 230, the provision of the 1996 Communications Decency Act that protects digital platforms from civil liability for user-generated content.
Section 230 was passed to nurture emerging internet businesses while encouraging them to regulate harmful online content. But the landscape has dramatically changed in the almost three decades since the statute was enacted and tech companies have exploited it to generate extraordinary profits at the expense of its users.
The McMorris Rodgers-Pallone proposal would encourage lawmakers and stakeholders to evaluate and enact a new legal framework over the next year and a half that would hold tech companies accountable for protecting kids and responsibly managing their social apps in exchange for the level of immunity few other industries enjoy.
MENENDEZ GOES ON TRIAL (AGAIN) • Sen. Bob Menendez's federal corruption trial is underway in Manhattan as the New Jersey Democrat faces multiple criminal counts of bribery, obstruction and acting as a foreign agent for the governments of Egypt and Qatar.
Menendez has pleaded not guilty, maintained his innocence and accused the feds of targeting him due to his Latino identity. Menendez’s wife, Nadine, was also charged with corruption, but she will be tried separately.
The 70-year-old stepped down as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee following the indictment but has rejected calls from more than 30 Senate Democrats to resign. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Menendez has a right to due process and a fair trial but expressed disappointment that he failed to live up to the Senate’s standards.
Menendez was indicted on federal corruption charges in 2015 but the charges were later dropped almost three years later after a jury was unable to reach a verdict.
His seat is up in November, but Menendez announced in March that he wouldn’t seek reelection as a Democrat. Instead, the three-term senator said he would consider an independent run pending the outcome of his trial.
Rep. Andy Kim has emerged as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination and has been endorsed by 11 current members of Congress and two senators. President Biden won the state by 16 points in 2020.
RELATED: “Gold bars and Google searches: The damning evidence in Bob Menendez’s corruption trial” (Ry Rivard • Politico)
Brown v. Board turns 70 • The White House has a full slate of events this week to mark the 70th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision that desegregated public schools. President Biden will participate in a number of engagements to commemorate the ruling and highlight his administration’s record on Black issues.
Here’s what to expect:
Thursday: The president will meet with plaintiffs from the case and their families at the White House.
Friday: President Biden will speak at the NAACP 70th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. He and Vice President Kamala Harris will also meet with the leaders of the Divine Nine historically Black sororities and fraternities.
Sunday: The president will give the commencement address at Morehouse College in Atlanta.
The rest of Biden’s week:
Today: The president returned from his beach house in Delaware and will speak at a White House reception celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The vice president will also speak. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will attend.
Tuesday: President Biden will speak about his economic agenda at the White House before speaking at the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies’ 30th Annual Gala in Washington.
Wednesday: The president will speak at the National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service at the US Capitol and host a dinner for Combatant Commanders at the White House with First Lady Dr. Jill Biden.
Saturday: President Biden will travel to Atlanta to speak at a campaign fundraiser.
Sunday: After his Morehouse speech, the president will travel to Detroit for a campaign event before returning to the White House.
Harris’s week ahead:
Today: The vice president participated in a moderated conversation at the annual Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies Legislative Leadership Summit in Washington, DC. She’ll travel to New York City this evening.
Tuesday: Vice President Harris will join Sherri Shepherd for an appearance on Sherri! and attend two campaign events before traveling back to Washington.
Thursday: The vice president will travel to Milwaukee for the third stop on her nationwide Economic Opportunity Tour before heading to Chicago for a campaign event and back to Washington.
BIDEN 2024 CALLS IN THE HEALTH CARE CALVARY • The Biden campaign launched a national program today to organize doctors, nurses and other health care leaders and providers in support of President Biden and Vice President Harris’s reelection bid.
Health Care Providers for Biden-Harris will focus its efforts on mobilizing Black, Latino and middle-class families and seniors and drawing a contrast between Biden’s commitment to protecting and expanding the Affordable Care Act, Social Security and Medicare and former President Donald Trump’s threats to “terminate” the ACA and cut earned benefits programs for older Americans.
Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.), a registered nurse and leading health policy expert in Congress, told reporters on Sunday afternoon that health care is a winning issue for her party and one that cost Republicans the House in 2018, the White House in 2020 and led to GOP underperformance in 2022 midterms.
Raul Ruiz, a House Democrat from California, said Latino voters can’t give Trump another chance to repeal the ACA after the former president came within a vote of doing so during his first term.
Ruiz also painted Trump as a me-first egomaniac unconcerned with the realities of everyday Americans.
“Donald Trump doesn’t care if we’re healthy or sick. He doesn’t care if we’re able to keep the lights on or pay for medication,” Ruiz said. “He doesn’t care if a woman can make her own health care decision or not. He only cares about himself, and his own quest for revenge and retribution if he ever sets back foot in the Oval Office.”
ICYMI • I stopped by the White House last week to cover the Las Vegas Aces’ second visit in as many years to celebrate their 2023 WNBA championship. Come for Alysha Clark and A’ja Wilson’s thoughts on the discussion of the gender pay gap in professional sports. Stay for Wilson and Kelsey Plum’s breakdown of what it’ll take for the Aces to become just the second team in league history to three-peat. Once Upon a Ball, amirite?! 😜
I also previewed what could become a contentious debate over the farm bill, as House Republicans and Senate Democrats recently unveiled dueling proposals on how to divide $1.5 trillion among vital nutrition assistance and rural economy programs.
Finally, for my weekly COURIER column, I wrote about the alternative ideas House Democrats proposed to a xenophobic citizenship bill Republicans passed last week to transform how the federal government doles out resources to states and localities and determines political representation.