Senior economics aide Gene Sperling is leaving the White House to work on the Harris campaign
White House senior adviser Gene Sperling is leaving his administration position to work with Vice President Kamala Harrisโ election campaign as the Democrats step up efforts to challenge Donald Trump on policy issues in Novemberโs election.
Democrats put a spotlight on more than 1 million pensions saved under a 2021 law
Democrats are putting a spotlight on more than 1 million union workers and retirees whose pensions are being saved under a 2021 law.
During strike talks, Biden worked to build ties to the UAW's leader. They have yet to fully pay off
President Joe Biden made a major commitment to cultivate a relationship with the new head of the United Auto Workers before the start of strikes at General Motors, Ford and Stellantis.
United Auto Workers threaten to expand targeted strike if there is no substantive progress by Friday
The United Auto Workers union is preparing to expand its strike against Detroitโs Big Three unless it sees progress in contract negotiations.
Local governments are spending billions of pandemic relief funds, but some report few specifics
Federal officials estimate that local governments now have spending plans in place for most of the money they received under a prominent pandemic relief law.
Battle heats up over remaining federal rental assistance
A debate is playing out across the country as the Treasury Department begins reallocating some of the $46.5 billion in rental assistance from places slow to spend to others that are running out of funds.
Money on the table: child credit $ available via tax returns
The Biden administration wants families with children to know that there is roughly $193 billion waiting for them โ all they need to do is file their taxes to claim it.
Biden admin reveals 60 finalists for $1B in economic grants
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has announced 60 finalists for $1 billion in economic development grants tied to the Biden administrationโs coronavirus relief package.
States, cities running out of rental assistance monies
The Treasury Department says several states and cities have exhausted their federal rental assistance in a sign that spending on a program aimed at averting evictions has picked up speed.
![Treasury claims rental assistance helped stop eviction wave](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/Zf8l21LVDjMvJdBaXRrKOReMzhg=/800x533/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/LA7ADOTVJZAUVKUVPBW6GVLTEU.jpg)
Treasury claims rental assistance helped stop eviction wave
The number of households receiving emergency rental assistance has increased steadily in recent months, with no major increase in people being turned out of their homes despite the expiration of the federal eviction moratorium.
![Child tax credit tussle reflects debate over work incentives](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/koCFZiG1PI7GNS0k4jSL4WClZAA=/800x541/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/6P56WWGGV5CM3MHP4F5ARJNZPE.jpg)
Child tax credit tussle reflects debate over work incentives
President Joe Biden and leading Democratic lawmakers, including Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet and Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, have been fighting to make permanent a child tax credit that would give families at least $300 a month per child.
![AP: States and cities slow to spend federal pandemic money](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/GrVH0SlHbap2EQkpmZOApzkpC5A=/800x533/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/Z63Z3LV5JRDLFJVOQVSAXYEBUY.jpg)
AP: States and cities slow to spend federal pandemic money
Many states and cities across the U.S. are getting off to a slow start in spending money from this year's coronavirus relief package championed by President Joe Biden and Democrats.
![Progressives see blueprint for next fights in eviction win](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/gNzcqE3JCAWLepDNk4AyQ9D69Ck=/800x533/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/EHM4LH3JRJDDLG5ENJ3QNH6ECM.jpg)
Progressives see blueprint for next fights in eviction win
A rare clash between the Biden administration and congressional Democrats may have created a blueprint for pressuring a White House that needs to walk a tightrope to satisfy all members of its party to pass its ambitious agenda.
![After court nixes eviction ban, race is on for federal help](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/qxqwMMw3bX9smWDH8xCIvoR8SyI=/800x533/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/EIGQ33EJLJDQTHJNNVIKF2HZCQ.jpg)
After court nixes eviction ban, race is on for federal help
A court ruling striking down a national eviction moratorium has placed additional pressure on the federal and state governments to deliver tens of billions of dollars in promised rental aid.
![Treasury Department creates office to oversee virus relief](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/IiKKk9gxR7KwyAv5IgMcu0EGIk8=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/N2WH2B5HWBGOJJE6FTVPMQYR4Q.jpg)
Treasury Department creates office to oversee virus relief
The Treasury Department is creating a new office to supervise the disbursement of the billions of dollars in relief money passed by Congress to combat the coronavirus-related recession.
![Path from Clinton to Biden takes U-turn on debt, trade, more](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/sUx7c_ILPaNz-XnaR6JIGFCp_LE=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/SNHHE4XUARB5FAUWKQSEPYX5HM.jpg)
Path from Clinton to Biden takes U-turn on debt, trade, more
Biden is taking the opposite approach of the Clinton administration to help the economy. White House aides are comparing the scope of Biden's policy ambitions to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's after the Great Depression. Biden was probably the best about this.โAdCelinda Lake conducted polling for both the Clinton and Biden campaigns. The Biden administration is now challenging China, which never embraced the values of democracy as trade advocates once believed it would. But he sees the Biden administration as pursuing new policies to help workers.
![Harris back on the road after opening weeks in Washington](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/5ocvAN4xuoRjSD31cPfmOhJsRgA=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/HTSD35VWKJCYFD3TNA7ZYTAZQM.jpg)
Harris back on the road after opening weeks in Washington
Vice President Kamala Harris gives her order to Germaine Turnbow, while stopping for lunch at Tacotarian, Monday March 15, 2021, in Las Vegas. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses are opening an ambitious, cross-country tour to highlight the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan and its benefits. After weeks of swearing in Cabinet members, appearing alongside President Joe Biden and making stops in the Washington area, the vice president was on the road on her first big outing since taking office. As the first woman, Black person and Indian American to be elected vice president, Harris has plenty of eyes on her in her new position. ___Associated Press writer Michelle Price in Las Vegas and Kathleen Ronayne in Sacramento, Calif., contributed to this report.
![In Pennsylvania, Biden showcases aid to small businesses](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/VqshCvCWgC9p9Jx1n_sTsVBvT2Y=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/5RDXESEEXJHGRK2QHLIY6SWYYI.jpg)
In Pennsylvania, Biden showcases aid to small businesses
Salazar, a small business owner for 30 years, told Harris that help from the Small Business Administration has "kept me afloat but more is needed.โIn Pennsylvania, meanwhile, Smith Flooring had 23 employees during peak times but currently is employing 12 workers. In Washington, the Senate confirmed Isabel Guzman, Bidenโs pick to lead the Small Business Administration on Tuesday. Itโs a sharp turn from the start of the Biden administration, when vaccination goals were relatively modest and Americans were warned the country might not return to normal until Christmas. AdThe Biden administration estimates that 400,000 small businesses have closed because of the pandemic and millions more are barely surviving. It recently qualified for a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan during a two-week window in which the Biden administration focused the program exclusively on helping businesses with 20 or fewer employees.
![Biden taps Gene Sperling to oversee COVID-19 relief package](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/lh9KvojbTIwbkjYlFdpVzWJQFoU=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/O3ORJTORRFAPXHPWKZEYYZ4Q6M.jpg)
Biden taps Gene Sperling to oversee COVID-19 relief package
Sperling, a veteran of the Clinton and Obama administrations, will lead the oversight for distributing funds from President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package, a White House official said Monday. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)Gene Sperling, a veteran of the Clinton and Obama administrations, will lead the oversight for distributing funds from President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package, the White House said Monday. Sperling will take a role similar to the one Biden had as vice president in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. He will work with the heads of the White House policy councils and federal agencies to get funds out quickly and optimize their effectiveness, press secretary Jen Psaki said. Sperling, 62, has twice served as director of the White House National Economic Council, making him one of the defining economic policymakers of the past several decades.
![Budget nominee Tanden withdraws nomination amid opposition](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/KNgYZ7cjDZkdeX9P0YJHtuKH5QI=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/YFNM6T6P3BF2LDGLGOCNXPEJFQ.jpg)
Budget nominee Tanden withdraws nomination amid opposition
Neera Tanden, President Joe Biden's nominee for Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), appears beofre a Senate Committee on the Budget hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)WASHINGTON โ President Joe Biden's pick to head the Office of Management and Budget, Neera Tanden, has withdrawn her nomination after she faced opposition from key Democratic and Republican senators for her controversial tweets. Thirteen of the 23 Cabinet nominees requiring Senate approval have been confirmed, most with strong bipartisan support. But without Manchinโs support, the White House was left scrambling to find a Republican to support her. White House chief of staff Ron Klain initially insisted the administration was โfighting our guts outโ for her.
![Yellen's encore: Lending economic heft to Biden's virus plan](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/eHmMkW7vMWG7Huhe90jgdobKKi4=/1600x1074/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/OXEWPM7Y35EODO7LZOTQMBVZZI.jpg)
Yellen's encore: Lending economic heft to Biden's virus plan
โYellen is uniquely poised," said Brian Deese, director of Bidenโs National Economic Council. "She has as much experience and expertise of addressing the challenges of our time as any living economic policymaker today. AdYellen juggled parenting with her work as a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, in the 1980s, helping to build her sonโs pinewood derby car as a colleague fed economic data into a computer. Itโs an argument cultivated from years of research that fully blossomed during Yellenโs time as Fed chair. She said Yellen values differences of opinion and diversity because that helps her get a fuller sense of the economy.
![Biden warns of growing cost of delay on $1.9T econ aid plan](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/AnFhBOL_8VROH0j0G75aZRQevWo=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/WX4AYZQR5RCUBLVM3AXUYGNXQM.jpg)
Biden warns of growing cost of delay on $1.9T econ aid plan
Biden signaled on Friday for the first time that he's willing to move ahead without Republicans. โI support passing COVID relief with support from Republicans if we can get it," he told reporters. "But the COVID relief has to pass. Some Biden allies have expressed frustration that the administration has not more clearly defined what the massive legislation would actually accomplish. He said, โThe American Rescue Plan โ itโs a plan geared toward the future, bridging the gap between January and September, when people will be able to spend more freely.โ