It’s Tuesday, the traditional day for elections and for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy. 

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4 BIG BUT OVERLOOKED MEASURES IN THE COVID RELIEF BILL
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews ([link removed])
Correspondent

We are in a time of larger-than-normal-life, almost superhuman issues and with them, gargantuan pieces of legislation.

The American Rescue Act, the upcoming COVID-19 relief bill with an appropriately sweeping title, promises to be yet another historically broad measure.

Last week we laid out many of its key provisions. But since then, House committees have published the full bill. We broke out our reading glasses, and found a host of overlooked but highly significant provisions in its 591 pages ([link removed]) .

In particular, four really stood out, for both the number of people they’ll impact and the significance of the issues involved.

1. Farmers of color. I have read many, many bills that attempt to address discrimination in one sector or another. Often that means funding a “study,” a “pilot program” and occasionally some targeted groups of people. But I cannot remember spotting an under-the-radar proposal so directly aimed at discrimination as this one. And as you may have guessed, like so many measures in Congress these days, it is controversial along partisan lines.
The House version of the American Rescue Plan would pay 120 percent of any government or government-backed loan for farmers or ranchers considered “socially disadvantaged,” which the billdefines ([link removed]) as Black, Asian American, Hispanic or Native farmers.

In other words, this bill would pay off those farmers’ debt and give them an additional 20 percent on top of that. Democrats behind this proposal are arguing that farmers from these groups were largely overlooked in other recent programs, including subsidies given out by the Trump administration to try to compensate for losses caused by his trade battle with China. The additional 20 percent, they say, is to account for an increase in income taxes that may come with the debt relief.

A number of Republicans see this as discriminatory, as white farmers would not be eligible. But Democrats see an opportunity to address what to them is clear systemic racism in the agricultural sector.

2. Native American languages. Also in the category of addressing race and culture, the American Rescue Plan drafted by the House includes $10 million to “ensure the survival and continuing vitality of Native American languages during and after the public health emergency.”

In a $1.9 trillion dollar relief bill, $10 million isn’t a big piece of the pie. And it is hard to say how far the money will go with the nation’s roughly 169 still-spoken Native languages, which were spoken at home by 372,000 people, as of the last Census ([link removed]) .

But it is highly significant as a specific carve-out here. It again shows Democrats’ push to address marginalized groups and broaden the scope of American culture.

3. Postal workers. Amid the pandemic, the U.S. Postal Service has faced staffing cuts, new rules from the Trump administration and a dramatically increased workload (packages, in particular).

Through it all, they remain one of the most exposed groups of federal workers — to the public and therefore the virus itself.

The House version of the American Rescue Plan gives these workers a sweeping, important legal and health status. It states that any postal worker diagnosed with COVID-19 at any point through January 2023 will be assumed to have contracted the disease on the job.

As the farmer and rancher provision highlights Democrats’ drive to address systemic racism, this shows the party’s push for labor gains, and specifically for health and business policies that default more in favor of workers rather than employers.

4. Veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs has long had problems with its supply chain; that is, with accessing, buying and effectively distributing resources to its vast medical system. (It serves nine million veterans at more than 1,000 different sites.) The agency identified this problem in 2017.

COVID-19, and the heightened demand for medical equipment and personal protective gear that came with it, increased awareness of the existing problem.

The House proposes sending the agency $100 million to sort out its supply chain issues and come up with a new system to modernize it. That would likely mean new software, training and staff.

It is something that has been on the agency’s wish list, and now, with COVID-19, may be getting fulfilled.

FIVE OVERLOOKED POLITICAL STORIES FROM THE PAST WEEK
By Ian Couzens, @iancouzenz ([link removed])
Politics production assistant

Ducey criticizes Biden for not consulting local officials before changing border policy ([link removed]) - Feb. 17. The White House announced that federal immigration authorities would begin processing the estimated 25,000 migrants forced under the Trump administration to wait in Mexico for immigration hearings. Why it matters: In a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Gov. Doug Ducey wrote that Arizona officials are concerned that the policy change could lead to an influx of “unvetted individuals” amid the COVID-19 crisis, potentially bringing more infections into their state, though the White House said in a statement that migrants would need negative test results before entering the country. -- The Arizona Republic

Despite security concerns, online voting advances ([link removed]) - Feb. 17. In nine states, at least some jurisdictions have allowed certain voters to cast their ballots electronically, either through their home computers or through a mobile app. Why it matters: Online voting is already expanding voter access, but election security experts say the process is ripe for attack from malicious hackers and warn that there is “no level at which internet voting is entirely safe.” -- Stateline

Buttigieg sets goals for electric, automated freight vehicles ([link removed]) - Feb. 17. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is pushing the infrastructure advancements in an effort to combat climate change and enhance safety. Why it matters: Experts believe automation will eliminate a lot of human error in long-haul freight, leading to fewer injuries and deaths, but it could also eliminate jobs. And while the move to electric vehicles would reduce carbon emissions that contribute to climate change, it would also be a costly switch, at least in the short-term. -- The Hill

Biden’s farm problem: Booming sales raise questions about bailout money ([link removed]) - Feb. 18. Fueled by surprisingly strong exports to China, shrinking supplies of crops and some of the highest commodity prices in seven years, the U.S. farm economy is heating up after years of decline, with the USDA projecting farmers will earn $11.8 billion more than they did last year. Why it matters: Under the Trump administration, the federal government was propping up farmers, paying a record $46 billion last year in direct subsidies. Now with farmers anticipating a highly profitable 2021 harvest, watchdog groups argue they shouldn’t continue to receive a disproportionate amount of aid while other sectors, restaurants and biofuel producers, are left begging for assistance. -- Politico

The window for D.C. statehood won’t be open forever ([link removed]) - Feb. 19. Democrats may only have a few months to make it happen, but they’re taking their time and arguing about the details while trying to drum up public support. Why it matters: Statehood would clarify the gray areas that result from the federal government’s control over some of the District’s municipal affairs and grant equal rights and representation to U.S. citizens living in a city whose population is larger than that of three states. But it would also be a boon to Democrats, almost certainly giving their party two more seats in the Senate, which is the chief reason why Republicans object to the move and why Democrats need to act quickly, while they still have a majority. -- The Atlantic

#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Tess Conciatori, @tkconch ([link removed])
Politics producer

Today is the last Tuesday of February, which every president since 1976 has designated as Black History Month. So in honor of the annual celebration, Here’s the Deal has a Black history question for you today.

There have been a total of 11 Black Senators in U.S. history, the first having been elected in Mississippi in 1870.

Our question: Can you name the first Black senator elected more than 150 years ago? Bonus question: Can you name the 10 other Black senators who have served throughout history?

Send your answers to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.

Last week, we asked: In what year did the U.S. begin celebrating Presidents’ Day on the third Monday of February, rather than on Washington’s birthday, and what was the reason for the change?

The answer: It changed in 1971 because of the “Uniform Monday Holiday Act.”

The act was passed in 1968 to give federal workers more three-day weekends and went into effect in 1971.

Congratulations to our winners: Dan Browning and Kate Pittman!

Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.

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** ‘Words matter’ as Asian American leaders urge action against hate crimes
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