Veteran subscribers to this email may recall a flurry of stories in late 2016 and early 2017, as child welfare advocates tried to push major foster care reform through Congress during the lame duck session, worried that if it carried over into the Trump administration it would be DOA.
They failed, stymied largely by the North Carolina congressional delegation, which was standing up for a network of Baptist group homes who fought for the status quo.
But they didn't give up, and the legislation was quietly attached to the spending bill passed last week to keep the government running, and it was just as quietly signed into law. By Donald Trump! It is the most ambitious child welfare legislation in at least a decade. And it's now the law of the land.
My story with Aida Chavez is here.
Now, the question is whether states will take advantage of the new money available. If you're a state lawmaker, mayor or work in a governor's office, this isn't something you want to miss.
Separately, Kate Aronoff and I used the wild swings in the stock market recently to explain how the financial system is structured to make sure wages can never rise, and what can be done about that.
This email grows by word of mouth. If you enjoy getting it, please forward this note to friends and tell them to sign up to start getting their own copy here. I'm the Washington bureau chief at The Intercept, and I send this several times a week. If you want to contribute directly to help keep the thing running, you can do so here, though be warned a donation comes with no tote bags or extra premium content or anything. Or you can support it by buying a copy of Out of the Ooze: The Story of Dr. Tom Price or Wall Street's White House, the first two books put out by Strong Arm Press, a small progressive publishing house I cofounded.
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