Happy almost-holidays everyone! I know I can’t wait for winter break to enjoy time with the people I love and also, you know, get a break. I am wishing you all the best, and let’s jump right into it!

The Downfall of President Biden’s Spending Bill: Despite assurances from legislation that Biden’s infamous spending bill named Build Back Better, which focuses on social and economic issues, would pass before Christmas, a screechy halt to the progression of the bill has surfaced with the lack of support from a vital political leader and overall decline of affirmative votes. Kelsey Snell, Deirdre Walsh, and Alana Wise from NPR quotes Biden and his administration on why the bill is struggling to surpass it’s roadblocks. The main issue is, as previously mentioned, gaining support from enough Democrats in the Senate while also adhering to promises made to the public during the 2020 Presidential election. The key to overcoming the voting roadblock is gaining the support from Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, who approved of the Build Back Better back in September when it had a different framework (Snell).

Manchin vocalized his primary concern, centered around the number of elements of the bill, but particularly the current proposed cost of the child tax credit (Snell). Tax Foundation defines child tax credit (CTC) as “a partially refundable credit that allows low- and moderate-income families to reduce their tax liability dollar-for-dollar by up to $2,000 for each qualifying child” (Tax Foundation). Investopedia expands that it is “designed to help taxpayers support their families” and “was greatly expanded for 2021 taxed by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021,” resulting in an estimation that “the new rules will reduce by 45% the number of American children living in poverty” (“What Is the Child Tax Credit?”).  

Manchin’s issue isn’t with the child tax credit itself but rather the cost for extending the expansion of the credit, which was instilled earlier in the year and is supposed to expire at the end of 2021. Through the expansion, the credit has reached more low-income families, increased in overall value, and a portion has turned into a monthly payment of up to $300 per child (Snell). Those advocating for the bill have yet to come up with a compromise satisfying the Senator’s fiscal concerns, ultimately resulting in his declaration of definite opposition on Sunday, reports Brian Naylor of NPR.

Manchin’s solid vote of “no,” announced on Fox News Sunday, sets the bills up for failure on the Senate floor as bill-advocates must ensure a strong affirmative number within the Democratic party since Republicans’ are collectively against it and the chamber is evenly divided. Reactions from the White House have been anything but positive, as press secretary Jen Pskai stated on Sunday that the Senator’s comments “represent a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position, and a breach of his commitments to the President” and his “colleagues in the House and Senate’ (Naylor). 

Progressive lawmakers have vocalized similar irritation and expressed a feeling of betrayal, evident by a statement from Representative Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressve Caucus: “I do believe the president, when he said to us — and to me personally — that he got a commitment from Sen. Manchin or he would have to go back on his word. And obviously yesterday, the senator took the latter path and went back on his word. That lack of integrity is stunning in a town where people say the only thing that you have is your work” (Naylor). 

Even moderates such as Representative Sbagical Spanberger are taken aback by Manchin’s decision, stating he has “now summarily walked away from productive negotiations. That is unacceptable, and we cannot act like this moment is the end. Children, families, and the future of our planet are counting on us.” Others, such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have taken a more placate approach, describing how the Senator “cares about our country” and that the legislation will be taken up soon (Naylor).

Despite Manchin’s response, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has informed Democrats he is still planning to propose the bill for vote early in the new year, stating that positions will be heard by “every Member of this body” on the Senate floor (Naylor). One of the major issues driving the continuous fight for this bill to be established and passed is climate change which has come to the forefront in recent decades. NPR’s Lauren Sommer describes the means in which the billions of dollars for clean energy set aside in the bill will challenge climate change, $555 billion to be exact. The cost is geared towards renewable energy and clean transportation, crucial to the President’s ongoing goal of reducing greenhouse gas emission by 50% by 2030 in comparison to data in 2005. The numerous methods allotted the bill “has the potential to substantially and radially cut heat-trapping emissions in the U.S,” a massive feat (Sommer).

Some of the actions depicted in the bill to tackle the climate issue include supplying incentives to homeowners to install rooftop solar power and make their homes more energy efficient, grow electric car rebates to $12,500 for middle class families, and provide tax rebates to clean energy companies for manufacturing in the U.S. (Sommer).

Unfortunately, with the U.S. ranking as the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gasses and the planet having already warmed 2 degrees Fahrenheit, scientists warn that Biden’s goals may not be enough to ward off climate change’s most catastrophic impacts which are coming faster than you may think. Currently, it is expected to warm almost 5 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century which can result in the exponentially dangerous hurricanes and droughts, the flooding of coastal cities worldwide, and the disappearance of entire ecosystems. In order to avoid such detrimental effects, emissions would need to fall 55% by 2030 and the majority of fossil fuels would need to stay underground by 2050 (Sommer).

Maunchin rebuttals against these layouts in the bill include the mass numerical cost and, according to him, the fact that energy transition in the U.S. is “well underway.” Yet climate experts have claimed that the cost of increasing disasters and damaged infrastructure could overwhelmingly surpass the billions in the bill. Further, though solar and wind power are increasing their status in America, scientists have warned that its development is not happening quick enough to effectively cut the necessary amount of emissions (Sommer). 

However, it is not entirely a dooms-day situation without the bill as new regulations, such as decreasing power plant emissions and enforcing difficult mileage standards on cars and trucks, can aid the journey to lessening the damaging effects of climate change. The downfalls, as they seem, are that those policies can be reversed by future presidents and there is a massive lack of major financial incentives the President has been leaning on to transition the U.S. into clean energy (Sommer).

Isra Hirsi: On the topic of climate change, many influential young figures have advocated for solutions to the issue and recognition of its detriment by the federal government. Through their activism, they have established a prominent presence in the media which has sparked millions across the country to join in the movement. A distinguished leader and inspiring woman at just 18-year-old, Isra Hirsi is a climate and racial justice advocate with a monumental influence in these movements. 

As explained in Art Sphere Inc., Hirsi was born on February 22, 2003, is from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the daughter of U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (Art Sphere Inc). She was introduced to the effects of climate change at a young age due to her upbringing, elaborated on by Brower Youth Awards. She witnessed pipelines being builts in her state, extreme snow conditions, and became knowledgeable about the water crisis in Michigan, all of which drove her to take action. (“Isra Hirsi” Brower Youth Awards).

At first, The International Congress of Youth Voices explains, her activism started more minuscule with her joining her school’s environmental club freshman year, but then it transformed into something bigger (“Isra Hirsi”). She Co-founded the US Youth Climate Strike, the first being in March of 2019, which works to fight the climate crisis. Helped by 100+ organizers and 15+ partners, it has successfully organized a multitude of strikes and has achieved a massive petition calling for a climate debate. Her organization centers around the impact of climate change on minorities and their communities, involving needed representation in a movement that expands farther than what is on the surface (“Isra Hirsi” Brower Youth Awards).  

Brought up in a diverse community that resembled her as a Black Muslim, she has continuously promoted the need for diversity and inclusion within the climate change movement, stressing how the the issue’s impacts transcend throughout different communities and is not to be isolated as a white issue. From the droughts in her parent’s home country and the air pollution in her hometown, the effects of the issue on different groups of people became evident. Her TED talk The Angry Black Girl delves into the complex reality of race in climate change and warns that ignoring this fact will deepen the racial divide in America. Her collaborative work with Indigenous-led protests and Black Lives Matter Protests are among the ways in which she has exemplified this message (Art Sphere Inc).

Further, she is one of the many to address the impact of climate change worldwide and is one of the organizers who has incited strikes in almost every U.S. state (Art Sphere Inc). She has, however, indulged in average experiences during her time in high school as she participated in debate and theater. Her focus, though, has continuously remained on understanding and navigating the world, caring about many issues that impact her family, her parents both being immigrants, and her community. Her goal has been to change the world and create a welcoming environment for all people, which she has already widely succeeded at an impressively young age (“Isra Hirsi”).

Isra Hirsi will continue to be a powerful and influential young leader within numerous social movements, impacting the lives of those now and in future generations. Her inspiration on other individuals and groups is not unnoticed and her overall success at only 18-years-old proves that her work is far from over.

Works Cited

Art Sphere Inc. “Isra Hirsi.” Art Sphere Inc. | Transforming Lives Through The Arts, 4 Aug.

2021, artsphere.org/isra-hirsi.

“Isra Hirsi.” THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF YOUTH VOICES,

www.internationalcongressofyouthvoices.com/isra-hirsi..

“Isra Hirsi.” Brower Youth Awards, 7 Nov. 2019, www.broweryouthawards.org/winner/isra-hirsi.

Naylor, Brain. “Democrats Plan to Vote on the Social Spending Bill, despite Manchin’s ‘No.’”

NPR, 20 Dec. 2021,

www.npr.org/2021/12/20/1065880187/democrats-still-plan-on-vote-for-the-social-spend

ng-bill-despite-manchins-no.

Snell, Kelsey, et al. “Democrats Are Forced to Regroup as Biden’s Signature Spending Bill

Stalls.” NPR, 16 Dec. 2021,

www.npr.org/2021/12/16/1064927774/democrats-forced-to-regroup-as-bidens-signature-

pending-bill-stalls.

Sommer, Lauren. “What Losing Build Back Better Means for Climate Change.” NPR, 20 Dec.

2021, www.npr.org/2021/12/20/1065695953/build-back-better-climate-change.

Tax Foundation. “Child Tax Credit (CTC).” Tax Foundation,

taxfoundation.org/tax-basics/child-tax-credit. 

“What Is the Child Tax Credit?” Investopedia, 9 Dec. 2021,

www.investopedia.com/terms/c/childtaxcredit.asp.