Welcome back to the Data for Progress newsletter, your weekly update on our research, blog posts, and memos.

---
 
This week, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez unveiled their new BUILD GREEN Act, a comprehensive policy platform to invest $500 billion in electrifying public bus and rail infrastructure over the next 10 years. Our analysis detailing the impacts of the BUILD GREEN Act found that it would save 4,200 lives each year that we are currently losing to air pollution, save $100 billion in health costs, and create a million new jobs. In addition to transforming our entire transit and energy systems, our polling found the BUILD GREEN Act is backed by a majority of national voters, with net support of +22.




Here are some other highlights from DFP over the past week:

• Just today, we released brand new polling showing that by a 59-41 margin, New York voters support Gov. Andrew Cuomo's resignation following allegations of sexual harassment and other misconduct. Also notable? Just 18% of Democrats say the Governor should seek a 4th term.
   

• We had Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Congressman Ro Khanna on the DFP blog this week, making the case for investing $100 billion in science and technology innovation over the next five years under their Endless Frontier Act. We found that the Endless Frontier Act is overwhelmingly popular with the American people, with 71% of voters supporting it.
  
  
   

• This week, Data for Progress polled 10 key policy items from last May’s “Clean Jumpstart to Rebuild America’s Economy” memo and published our findings in a new memo with Evergreen Action highlighting how the Biden Administration can use these policies to build back better. We found that a majority of likely voters support all ten of our Clean Jumpstart for 2021 proposals, the most popular of which are investments to upgrade aging water infrastructure, funding to help small farmers expand sustainable farming practices, the creation of a Climate Conservation Corps, and a GI Bill for fossil fuel workers.
  
  
   

• The House recently passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, one of the most comprehensive criminal justice reform proposals in U.S. history. Our latest polling finds the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act — which would roll back qualified immunity, restrict police from using military equipment, and cut off funding for departments that fail to ban chokeholds — is favored by an overwhelming 53-point margin of voters.
  
  
   
• Deb Haaland has officially been confirmed as Secretary of the Interior! She was confirmed on a bipartisan basis, with 4 Republican Senators voting for her nomination in addition to the entire Senate Democratic Caucus. Secretary Haaland is the first Native American Secretary of the Interior, and we couldn’t be prouder or happier to see this pathbreaking woman in this crucial office.

Media Hits

• Last week, the Senate passed the PRO Act — an ambitious bill to empower organized labor. Vox shared our finding that a 51-36 majority of voters support filibuster reform to pass the bill.
   

• DFP executive director Sean McElwee was featured in the American Independent with Zac Petkanas to explain why the popularity of the American Rescue Plan means we should go big on infrastructure, manufacturing, and clean energy jobs.
   

• Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is a key holdout in Democrats’ effort to abolish the filibuster — and in a new piece, Newsweek used our polling to show that her own voters want to scrap the Senate rule to pass more legislation.
   

• In These Times explained why more states should follow Illinois’ lead and abolish cash bail — and used our polling showing voters want to eliminate the practice by a two-to-one ratio.
   

• In an op-ed for Slate, former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd and former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello covered our memo with the Asia Society Policy Institute on U.S.-China climate change relations.

From the Blog
A National Plan To End Gun Violence
What We Learned When We Fought For — and Won — Equity in Massachusetts’ School Funding System
The American Rescue Plan Leaves Out a Key Equity Tool: Paid Leave
Ro Khanna and Chuck Schumer: Investing in Technology and Innovation is an Economic and National Security Priority
Illinois Voters Want To Go Carbon-Free. It's Time To Make It Happen.


Memos
Memo: Voters Want More Resilient Electoral and Economic Institutions
Memo: Voters Support Federal Investments to Improve Household Energy Efficiency
Memo: Electrifying America’s Public Transportation Systems - An Economic and Environmental Evaluation
Memo: Federal Investments in Clean Energy, Infrastructure, and Innovation Enjoy Bipartisan Support


Donate
Give us money. No, seriously, give us money.


Meme of the Week