Congress is reconvening on November 30, presenting a chance to pass a stimulus bill to inject more cash into the economy. But time is short. Lawmakers are returning to Washington, DC, for a short session due to end before Christmas. They also have to use the time to pass legislation to avert a government shutdown on December 11.

The public finance sector will find an attentive audience from a new chairman of the Senate Finance Committee next year if Republicans retain majority control of the upper chamber. Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho, who is expected to become chairman under a Republican Senate, has been receptive to increasing the limit on bank qualified debt.

A new in-depth survey finds bipartisan majorities support several tax incentives that seek to reduce the use of fossil fuels. The proposals include measures to encourage developing alternative sources of clean energy – such as solar and wind, making homes and commercial buildings more energy-efficient, and the use of electric vehicles.

The U.S. EPA's water infrastructure financing programs would be in line for approximately level funding next year under a plan for FY21 appropriations released by Senate Republicans last week. The Republicans' proposal would provide EPA with just under $9.1 billion next year, roughly in line with the agency's FY20 appropriation.

As coronavirus cases surge across the country and new stay-at-home orders threaten further damage to an already fragile economic recovery, millions of Americans will lose crucial federal benefits if Congress can't come to an agreement on a new round of stimulus legislation.

With billions in tax revenue at stake, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said Congress should consider handing opportunity zone oversight to the Treasury Department. As a potential solution, the GAO asked congressional lawmakers to think about handing to the Treasury Department the authority to track how OZs perform.

The Public Finance Network, a coalition of bipartisan organizations, has released a new report titled the Advance Refunding Myth Buster. The report aims to educate and inform partners on advance refunding municipal bonds, a crucial infrastructure financing tool eliminated in 2017.

A key impediment to achieving a congressional compromise on COVID-19 relief and economic stimulus is the level of aid to be given to states and local governments. Congress can include two provisions in the pending stimulus legislation to make the level of federal aid to a state or locality contingent on practices that promote sound intergovernmental fiscal management.

The Tax Policy Center has released an updated analysis of President-Elect Biden's tax proposals. On net, his proposals would increase federal revenues by about $2.1 trillion over the next decade. This brief updates estimates of the revenue and distributional effects of former vice president Joe Biden's 2020 campaign tax proposals.

Americans approved at least $26.7 billion in state and local borrowing measures, more than half of the proposed bond sales on ballots across the country, while another $15.7 billion are still pending final results. So far, only $2.7 billion of bond measures, or about 6% of those proposed, had been defeated as of Thursday.

President-Elect Biden and his transition team announced on Monday several nominees and appointments for the incoming administration's top economic posts. The transition team confirmed that former Fed Chair Janet Yellen will be Biden's official nominee for Treasury secretary.

The Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department have agreed to extend the life of four emergency lending facilities to March 31. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin sent a letter to Fed Chair Jerome Powell approving the extension of the Fed's Commercial Paper Funding Facility, Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility, the Primary Dealer Credit Facility, and the Paycheck Protection Program Liquidity Facility.

Advisers to President-elect Biden are planning for the increasing likelihood that the United States economy is headed for a "double-dip" recession early next year. They are pushing for Democratic leaders in Congress to reach a quick stimulus deal with Senate Republicans, even if it falls short of the larger package Democrats have been seeking.

From the Pentagon to the General Services Administration, President-elect Joe Biden has embedded climate-minded officials throughout his sprawling transition team. The Small Business Administration team includes Cliff Kellogg, executive director of the C-PACE Alliance, which works on financing energy efficiency and renewables projects.

Faced with a growing but modest uptake in program loans, the Federal Reserve recently adjusted the terms of the Main Street Lending Program to better target support to smaller businesses. Established in the wake of the CARES Act, the program is intended to help otherwise healthy small and medium-sized businesses and nonprofits weather the financial strains of the pandemic.

Today, HUD announced a major milestone for the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program, which has now facilitated more than $10 billion in capital investment since the program's inception to improve or replace 140,000 public housing units – the majority of which house extremely low-income families, seniors, and persons with disabilities.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced selections for $130 million in new projects to advance solar technologies. Through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Solar Energy Technologies Office, DOE will fund 67 research projects across 30 states that reduce the cost of solar, increase U.S. manufacturing competitiveness, and improve the reliability of the nation's electric grid.

Four years of the Trump administration dramatically reshaped food and farming across the country, weakening protections for workers and the environment while upending traditional trade relationships and pumping record-breaking aid payments to farmers. As Biden's inauguration approaches, we explore how a Biden presidency could address some of the major issues facing farmers, and how this could impact sustainable agriculture in the United States.

The U.S. EPA has announced funding to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts totaling more than $90 million for major water infrastructure projects in communities across the state. As part of the overall funding, EPA is announcing significant amounts to address lead in drinking water in schools in Boston, and schools and childcare facilities in communities across Massachusetts.

With a new President comes new priorities and direction, and the Biden administration will hit the ground running in January. The Federal Government makes policies that affect how goods and people move, so it is likely that changes in how this happens are afoot. Here are five ways that a Biden administration will likely affect U.S. transportation policy.