1. By the numbers: Biden’s New Deal

President Biden and his staff frequently cite Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson as role models for the historical impression he hopes to leave. According to the Wall Street Journal, Biden’s chief of staff, Ron Klain, indicated last month that the President’s spending plan is “twice as big, in real dollars, as the New Deal.” And he’s right – together, the American Rescue Plan (ARP), the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill (BIF), and the Build Back Better Act spend $4.95T.

Despite weeks of setbacks in the House, on Friday morning the House passed the Build Back Better Act 220-213. Despite Friday’s victory, the legislation faces an uphill battle in the Senate where it will likely be modified. 

2. Sixth Circuit Court ‘wins’ lottery to hear lawsuits against Biden’s vaccine rule

The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has won the lottery to hear legal challenges to the Biden administration’s vaccine rule that affects some 84M workers. The lottery was announced after multiple lawsuits against the administration were filed in several federal appeals courts. In a process resembling a Powerball drawing, a dozen ping pong balls, each representing one court, were placed into a wooden drum on Tuesday.

The 6th Circuit Court of Appeal is based in Cincinnati, Ohio, and known to lean conservative, with most of its judges appointed by Republican presidents. Even if the 6th Circuit weighs in quickly, it’s likely the decision will be appealed, and the litigation could continue for some weeks and months. Ultimately, the case could wind up in the Supreme Court. NPR has more.

OSHA has announced that it has suspended enforcement of its vaccine rule until new developments are made concerning its constitutionality and enforceability.

3. Eviction Lab ties evictions to voter suppression

New research from Eviction Lab founder Matthew Desmond claims evictions have a powerful and negative effect on voter participation. By comparing voting rates in the 2016 election with court eviction records, Desmond observed that communities with the highest eviction rates also have some of the lowest rates of Election Day turnout. Although evictions affect voter turnout in urban and rural communities alike, the impact of evictions on Election Day was less severe in areas that allow same-day voter registration. As a result, Desmond argues that policymakers should enhance democratic participation by investing in measures intended to reduce evictions, such as a universal right to housing assistance and a civil right to counsel legislation. Likewise, enacting less-stringent voting laws, Desmond argues, will prevent those who have experienced evictions from being disenfranchised.

4. Evictions Rise Nationwide

An eviction crisis is hitting communities across the country after the end of the eviction moratorium in September. According to The New York Times, within the first two weeks after the moratorium ended, eviction filings increased 10% from the previous month. The increase in evictions is more rapid in communities where there are few protections for tenants and limits on rental assistance distribution.Peter Hepburn, a researcher at the Eviction Lab said, “In places that don’t have protections, these numbers are increasing pretty quickly, and we don’t know where the ceiling is.” In addition, experts believe that these numbers undercount the number of tenants nationwide that are being removed from their homes and an eviction crisis will continue to unfold in the coming months if there is no intervention in the rental market.