Afghanistan, Vaccine Mandates, The House Narcissist Caucus, Eviction Moratorium

Mike and Ken open the show with a discussion of the situation in Afghanistan. Ken believes the withdrawal has gone very well all things considered, but is at least open to the argument that withdrawing might not have been the right call. Mike is similarly conflicted about withdrawing, but feels that the Biden administration has botched the withdrawal. After that they turn to FDA approval of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine and what it might mean for future vaccine mandates. Neither Mike nor Ken things we’ll see a surge of public sector mandates unless there’s a significant upswing in the COVID death toll. Mike wonders if it might be possible for President Biden to essentially mandate vaccines in higher education by cutting federal funds (including student loan money) to institutions that don’t comply. Following that is discussion of the  $3.5 trillion budget blueprint passed by the House. It’s being called a victory of sorts for Democratic moderates, but Ken sees it as a PR win for what he terms the “House Narcissist Caucus”. Mike emphasizes the sweeping nature of the budget proposal and his general approval of all that it seeks to do. Both Mike and Ken expect a slimmed down version of the proposal, along with the bipartisan infrastructure bill, to end up on President Biden’s desk before too long. Finally, Mike & Ken discuss the Supreme Court’s ruling that the CDC exceeded its authority in declaring an eviction moratorium. They both disagree with the ruling, but Ken in particular sees at least some merit in the majority’s opinion. The Politics Guys on Facebook | Twitter Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the podcast, go to patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo, we’re @PoliticsGuys  Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesThe Politics Guys on Facebook | XListener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo, we’re @PoliticsGuys.The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.