It’s the day for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy. A mini-magazine in your Inbox.

U.S. President Joe Biden smiles as he answers questions from reporters in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., August 10, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Happy Wednesday, all. We traditionally put out this newsletter on Tuesdays. This week’s Tuesday we got swept up in a busy Senate day and pushed back publishing a day. We will return to our normal schedule next week.

INFRASTRUCTURE MOVING AND THEN STOPPING
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews ([link removed]) , correspondent and Erica R. Hendry, @ericarhendry ([link removed]) , managing editor, digital

It’s been a long, tough process but we’ve arrived. On Tuesday the Senate passed a more than $1 trillion infrastructure deal and it was bipartisan - a feat few if any thought was possible.

19 Republicans joined all the Democrats in voting for the bill.

Those Republicans are:
* Roy Blunt, Mo.
* Richard Burr, N.C.
* Shelley Moore Capito, W.V.
* Bill Cassidy, La.
* Susan Collins, Maine
* Kevin Cramer, N.D.
* Mike Crapo, Idaho
* Deb Fischer, Neb.
* Lindsey Graham, S.C.
* Chuck Grassley, Iowa
* John Hoeven, N.D.
* Mitch McConnell, Ky.
* Lisa Murkowski, Alaska
* Rob Portman, Ohio
* Jim Risch, Idaho
* Mitt Romney, Utah
* Dan Sullivan, Alaska
* Thom Tillis, N.C.
* Roger Wicker, Miss.

It was geographically bipartisan, too. Senators from 39 states voted yes.

Here’s how we got here.

An unusual and extraordinary process

This was an unusual process -- one that, until now, has always failed.The Senators reached this deal with a group of 10 senators working closely over the course of several months together, and with the White House, to strike a deal. In the (many) instances in which something was nearing collapse, one of those senators stepped in to make a concession and keep the ship moving forward.

Joe Biden

The president pushed to make this a bipartisan process despite the fact that Democrats could have pushed through a deal without Republican support. The plan in the end is smaller than what the president had originally proposed. But he and others in Congress saw value in getting broader buy-in on such a major deal.

There were also a number of White House advisers instrumental in working with lawmakers.

Where do we go from here?

Already, the Senate has moved onto a larger bill. That is the $3 to 4 trillion bill that Democrats hope will mark a shift in government and American life: providing universal pre-K, new child care help, expanding Medicare and tackling climate change.

To pass all of that, Senate Democrats are using a specific procedure known as budget reconciliation. We’ve mentioned that before in Here’s the Deal. It allows them to pass major legislation with just 51 votes. But to do that they must get through a labor-intensive two-step process.

Overnight, the Senate finished its step one - writing a budget resolution. That is the framework for the larger reconciliation bill which will be written in coming weeks and months.

Once both chambers have passed the budget resolution, then they will try to agree on a larger reconciliation bill in order for it to become law.

But that effort has become politically tied to the infrastructure bill.

While moderate Democrats especially champion the infrastructure bill, progressive Democrats ardently are pushing for a large reconciliation bill.

House progressives in general do not trust the Senate, where it’s likely that all 50 Democrats will have to agree on the reconciliation bill.

To help those progressives and the reconciliation bill gain leverage, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she will not pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill until the reconciliation proposal is through the Senate.

It’s saying, both must move out of the Senate before either one moves out of the House.

Thus, while it was a big day for the infrastructure bill, it was also the first step toward an even more complicated piece of the process.

FIVE OVERLOOKED POLITICAL STORIES FROM THE PAST WEEK
By Saher Khan, @SaherMKhan ([link removed])
Politics Producer

The Voters Who Could Turn California Red ([link removed]) - Aug 4. Republicans in the state of California have struggled for years to win statewide and even local races, but Donald Trump’s gains with Latino voters in the state has the party rethinking their relationship with a key demographic outside their base. Why it matters: Latinos make up a significant plurality of voters in California and they are far from monolithic. Better messaging to these communities could help Republicans gain back power in the state. -- The Atlantic

What follows Confederate statues? 1 Mississippi city’s fight ([link removed]) - Aug 8. A statue of Emmet Till will be erected in Greenwood ,Mississippi, making it one of a few statues honoringBlack people in a city where they are the majority city and where controversial Confederate monuments litter the landscape of parks, state houses and town squares. Why it matters: The move suggests a small culture shift in at least this town, after the summer of racial reckoning in 2020 sparked a movement to remove Confederate monuments across the country and confront the country’s racial history. -- The Associated Press

Colorado Republicans aren’t winning many elections these days, so they’re turning to ballot questions instead ([link removed]) - Aug. 9. AsColorado Republicans struggle to make electoral gains in recent elections, conservative activists in the state are organizing ballot measures to advance their priorities. Why it matters: Ballot measures have become a way for minority parties to have meaningful say in their state’s policies including in key swing states like Colorado. -- The Colorado Sun

Biden Administration Is Still Struggling to Care for Migrant Children ([link removed]) - Aug. 6. While conditions in emergency shelters housing migrant children have improved, the Biden administration is still struggling to maintain consistently good care of the children, with some watchdogs citing substandard conditions and inefficient efforts to reunite children with their parents. Why it matters: The lives of several migrant children continue to hang in the balance as the numbers crossing the border continue to rise and the Biden administration struggles with how to address the humanitarian crisis. -- New York Times

You're Going To Hear A Lot About The 'Byrd Rule' Soon — Who Is This Byrd Man? ([link removed]) - Aug. 8. As Democrats begin work on their $3.5 trillion budget resolution, attention is turning to the arcane “budget reconciliation” process they are depending on and the former senator who knows it best. NPR put together a helpful bio-explainer about the larger-than-life Robert Byrd. Why it matters: The Byrd rule could block key Democratic priorities and would force Democrats to leave issues like immigration on the cutting room floor despite the ardent hopes of activists. -- NPR

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

On this day in 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act, which included a formal apology for the internment of more than 100,000 Japanese Americans during World War II and offered $20,000 payments to survivors. However, it took another 30 years for the Supreme Court to reverse its decision upholding Japanese internment, Korematsu v. United States.

Our question: In what 2018 Supreme Court ruling did today’s justices overturn the Korematsu decision?

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: Who originally conducted the oath of office for President Coolidge?

The answer: President Coolidge was sworn in by his father, Calvin Coolidge Sr.

It is precedent and not a constitutional requirement that a justice of the Supreme Court administer the oath of office. Most legal scholars agree that the oath administered by Coolidge Sr., who was a state official himself as a notary public, was valid. However, President Coolidge held another swearing-in the following day upon his return to Washington, D.C., this time with Justice Adolph A. Hoehling Jr.

Congratulations to our winners: Robert Schmid and Barry Weinstein

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

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** Houses are getting scooped up before they’re listed. It’s shutting people out of homeownership ([link removed])
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