Infrastructure Deal ‘Waters Have Been Calmed’; Unlinked From Spending Bill

The New York Times: Infrastructure Deal Is Back On Track After Biden’s Assurances 
A fragile bipartisan infrastructure deal appeared to be moving forward once again on Sunday, as moderate Republicans said they had been reassured that President Biden would not hold it hostage while Democrats simultaneously work on a larger, partisan economic package. After 48 hours of chaos, the statements by leading Republicans prompted a sigh of relief for the White House, where Mr. Biden and top aides had worked through the weekend to keep the eight-year, $1.2 trillion investment to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure from falling apart. G.O.P. negotiators even suggested that they could now begin drafting the bill and said they believed it would win enough Republican votes to pass the Senate next month. (Fandos, 6/27)

NBC News: Biden's Pledge To Boost Home Caregiver Funding Excluded From Infrastructure Deal
When Morgan Champion brought her 74-year-old father home to live with her, she had little time to prepare. It was early May when she and her sister had found him emaciated and sitting in a soiled diaper at his memory care facility in Tallahassee, Florida, after the pandemic lockdown finally lifted.“We really felt like dad was in danger,” Champion said. The family needed to get him out as quickly as possible. ... “I want him to have the dignity of being taken care of well,” Champion, 34, said. “It’s definitely been a struggle.” (Khimm, 6/26)

In more news about joblessness and hunger —

Houston Chronicle: Thousands Of Texans File Lawsuit Against Gov. Abbott For Ending Federal Unemployment Benefits
Thousands of Texans have banded together and hired an attorney to file suit to block Gov. Greg Abbott from ending emergency federal unemployment benefits before the programs expire in September. The plaintiffs, two groups that organized over Facebook with more than 30,000 people, argue that the decision to end the benefits early exceeded the governor’s authority, according to the lawsuit, filed this week in state district court in Austin. The benefits, aimed at providing relief to workers during the pandemic, are scheduled to expire Saturday under Abbott’s order. (Carballo, 6/25)

KQED: Some Disabled Californians Feel Abandoned By Newsom’s Golden State Stimulus
While California lawmakers automatically sent checks to 1.2 million people who receive SSI, the 1.2 million Californians on SSDI only qualify if they had income from work in 2020. But that’s rare — research shows that fewer than one in five SSDI recipients work during a typical year, often because they are limited by their disabilities or risk losing their benefits if they work too much. Disability advocates say it’s the latest example of the state abandoning some of its most vulnerable residents during the pandemic, after having directed medical health providers to ration COVID-19 care to elderly and less healthy people last spring and deprioritize people with disabilities for vaccines earlier this year — both policies that were reversed after considerable outcry. (Botts, 6/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Americans Are Leaving Unemployment Rolls More Quickly In States Cutting Off Benefits
The number of unemployment-benefit recipients is falling at a faster rate in Missouri and 21 other states canceling enhanced and extended payments this month, suggesting that ending the aid could push more people to take jobs. Federal pandemic aid bills boosted unemployment payments by $300 a person each week and extended those payments for as long as 18 months, well longer than the typical 26 weeks or less. The benefits are set to expire in early September, but states can opt out before then. (Morath and Barrett, 6/27)

The New York Times: Where Jobless Benefits Were Cut, Jobs Are Still Hard To Fill 
By lunchtime, the representatives from the recruiting agency Express Employment Professionals decided to pack up and leave the job fair in the St. Louis suburb of Maryland Heights. Hardly anyone had shown up. “We were hoping we would see prepandemic levels,” said Courtney Boyle, general manager of Express. After all, Missouri had just cut off federal unemployment benefits. (cohen, 6/27)

The Washington Post: The New Face Of Hunger: Hispanic, Employed, But Still Struggling To Feed The Family 
The new face of hunger in the Washington region is a Hispanic man or woman who struggles to feed their household despite working, according to a new report from the Capital Area Food Bank. The 2021 “Hunger Report” comes a year after the organization released a July 2020 report warning that the coronavirus pandemic could greatly grow the number of food-insecure people in the area. (Swenson, 6/27)

In news about the housing crisis —

The Washington Post: Housing Crisis Poses Crucial Test For Biden Administration’s Economic Plans 
Housing has emerged as one of the most unequal and consequential parts of the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Low interest rates, cheap mortgages and bidding wars are fueling a housing boom for wealthier Americans and making homeownership out of reach for many first-time buyers. Meanwhile, housing is a top expense and worry for millions of renters and unemployed workers, and advocates fear a wave of homelessness once the CDC’s final moratorium lifts July 31. (Siegel, 6/27)

San Francisco Chronicle: Health Care For Undocumented Seniors, $600 Stimulus Checks Coming In Next California Budget
Facing a looming deadline, legislative budget officials said late Friday they had reached a framework for the state budget with Gov. Gavin Newsom, hashing out agreements on homelessness funding, health coverage for undocumented seniors and other lingering policy differences. But the officials, who declined to speak on the record, said some key details remained unsettled, even as the Legislature prepares to pass the $262.2 billion spending plan on Monday, three days before the start of the new fiscal year. (Koseff, 6/26)

Oklahoman: 'Brief, Rare And Nonrecurring': Oklahoma City's Plan To Reduce Homelessness
A 118-page plan to help end homelessness released by the Oklahoma City Mayor's Task Force on Homelessness looks to tackle problems service providers admit are complex. Dan Straughan, executive director of the Homeless Alliance, said one way the plan does this is looking at root causes. "Until you address the issues that contribute to poverty, you're not going to be able to effectively address the issues that contribute to homelessness," Straughan said. (Williams, 6/28)