With narrow margins in the House and the Senate, there is one real mandate for the 117th Congress: for Democrats and Republicans to work together to resolve some of our nation’s problems. And it should do so by finding feasible, not comprehensive, solutions to kitchen-table issues to which all Americans can relate. There are several areas—including infrastructure, higher education, and paid family leave—that have garnered bipartisan interest and are ready for action.
To get up-to-speed, below is a list of resources on issue areas ready for action in the 117th Congress. BPC Action stands ready to help Congress achieve bipartisan successes.
Fiscal Issues
The 117th Congress will face complex budget issues on top of economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Catch up fast on these issues with the resources below, and stay apprised of the latest analysis of debt/budget issues here.
The Debt Limit
Quick Hits (5-minute reads)
- The Debt Limit: What You Need to Know
- How to Reform the Debt Limit
- Interactive: Recent History of the Debt Limit
Deeper Dives (10+ minute reads)
Video Explainers (5-minute watch)
The Federal Budget
Quick Hits (5-minute reads)
- BPC’s Deficit Tracker (updated monthly)
- Chartbook: What is the Long-Term Fiscal Outlook for the United States?
Deeper Dives (10+ minute reads)
- Chartbook: Social Security & Medicare Explained: Top 10 Questions & Answers
- Timeline: Ten Years of Washington Budget Battles
Economic Recovery
Quick Hits (5-minute reads)
- Short-Term Compensation: Does It Offer Relief?
- How Will COVID Impact the Social Security Trust Funds?
Deeper Dives (10+ minute reads)
Paid Family Leave
Americans from both parties widely support paid family leave. There is a key opportunity for Congress and the administration to build on the paid family leave policies implemented as a result of COVID-19. Click here to learn more about BPC’s paid family leave policy work.
Quick Hits (5-minute reads)
- A Pragmatic Agenda for Congress to Support Working Families
- How Congress and the Administration Can Make the Most of the 5-Year Extension of the Paid Family and Medical Leave Tax Credit
- Gender Disparities in Labor Force Recovery for Parent-Age Adults
- Fast Facts from the Task Force on Paid Family Leave
- Op-Ed: Paid Family Leave Will Support Working Families
Deeper Dives (10+ minute reads)
Health
Education
Follow all of BPC’s education policy work here.
Early Child Care
- Bipartisan Child Care Priorities for the 117th Congress
- Rethinking America’s Child Care System
- Characteristics of the Child Care Workforce
- Investments in Child Care Facilities as Infrastructure
- How Two Tax Policies Help Working Families Access Child Care
- FY20 Childhood Funding Wins
Higher Education
Immigration
Immigration remains at the forefront of policy debates in the 117th Congress. Get the latest updates on BPC’s immigration policy work here.
Quick Hits (5-minute reads)
- Top 10 Facts: Immigration Trends
- Top 10 Facts: DACA and DREAMers
- Top 10 Facts: Temporary Worker Visa Programs
- Top 10 Facts: Unaccompanied Migrant Children
- Bipartisan Bills That Can Serve as Vehicles for Immigration Reform
Deeper Dives (10+ minute reads)
Infrastructure
This Congress, there is a real opportunity to jump-start our economy, repair aging systems, and advance the modern technologies needed to confront climate change with a comprehensive, bipartisan infrastructure package. BPC has joined the Chamber of Commerce and over 100 other organizations to urge Congress to enact an infrastructure by July 4. Follow BPC’s housing and infrastructure work here.
Housing
- Providing Stable, Healthy, and Affordable Housing in COVID-19
- Realizing LIHTC’s Potential
- Improving Access and Affordability in a Reformed Housing Finance System
- HUD-HHS Partnerships: A Prescription for Better Health
- Forging Bipartisan Consensus on Affordable Rental Housing
Infrastructure
Energy
Energy innovation saw the most movement in over a decade with the passage of December’s end-of-year Energy Act in the final omnibus. Let’s continue this momentum! To track all of BPC’s energy policy work, visit this page.
Energy Innovation
- Recommendations from BPC’s American Innovation Energy Council for developing the energy technologies for economic growth, job creation, and decarbonization.
- In 2020, ARPA-E continued to support early-stage energy innovation while navigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to creating a new SCALEUP program designed to fund pilot and scaling projects of successful ARPA-E technologies. Here’s what’s next for this critical program.
Clean Energy
- The U.S. Energy Information Administration released its 2021 Annual Energy Outlook— which provides modeled projections of domestic energy markets through 2050, including cases with different assumptions about macroeconomic growth, world oil prices, and technological progress.
- BPC, Third Way and Clean Air Task Force launched the Decarb America Research Initiative to examine technology and policy pathways to aid economic recovery and reach net-zero emissions in the U.S. by 2050.
- The Bipartisan Policy Center’s Direct Air Capture (DAC) Advisory Council’s report on utilizing DAC to lower carbon emissions and combat climate change. See their previous report on the environmental case for DAC.
Farm & Forest
- BPC’s new Farm and Forest Carbon Solutions Task Force—co-chaired by former Sens. Heidi Heitkamp and Saxby Chambliss—will shape policy recommendations that enhance the role of American agriculture and forestry as valuable natural climate solutions and provide new revenue streams to farmers, ranchers, and foresters.