Biden Administration in Action

Today, President Biden announced funding from his infrastructure law to start the first phase of replacing the 113-year-old Hudson Tunnel. This project will create 72,000 good-paying jobs and improve reliability for the 200,000 weekday passengers on New Jersey Transit and Amtrak. pic.twitter.com/BOGlxbVhQu

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 1, 2023

They were saying replacing the Hudson Tunnel could never be done when I left New York City… in 1973!

As an Amtrak employee, Barney knows firsthand just how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is going to build a better America. Watch as he explains how our infrastructure investments will make commuting smoother along the Northeast Corridor. pic.twitter.com/H3Fy7oJdiL

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 31, 2023

SCOOP: @VP is going to Tyre Nichols’ funeral tomorrow at the request of Nichols’ mother, who the Vice President talked to for a half an hour today. https://t.co/BzmymZd9gP

— AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) January 31, 2023

Police-reform legislation will be on the agenda as President Biden hosts members of the Congressional Black Caucus Thursday in the wake of Tyre Nichols's killing https://t.co/sY2RkYZqsO via @justinsink + @JenniferJJacobs

— Mario Parker (@MarioDParker) January 31, 2023

How much more respected is America around the world under Joe Biden?

This much. pic.twitter.com/99d4JKJRmk

— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) January 29, 2023

Right now, only 2% of America’s businesses are Black-owned and men own 3x the number of small businesses as women.

We’re committed to changing that – and America will be stronger when we do. pic.twitter.com/DI9YFbz0Qe

— Secretary Gina Raimondo (@SecRaimondo) January 31, 2023

NEW: I've got exclusive details on the new assistive tech that @JohnFetterman is using to do his job, as well as insights from his colleagues about how he's navigated his auditory processing challenges during his first few weeks in the Senate.https://t.co/gncrM86MlR

— Mini Racker (@MiniRacker) February 1, 2023

… As Fetterman learns how to do his new job while struggling with lingering auditory processing issues resulting from the stroke, he’s relying on some extra tech. The new assistive technology installed in his workspaces requires some adjustment from colleagues in an institution known for its stagnancy. But in securing the devices that are helping him begin a new job during a very public recovery process, advocates say Fetterman is forging a path for people with disabilities and health challenges to make it in public office.

The auditory processing issues that sometimes make it difficult for Fetterman to communicate became a focus during his Senate campaign last fall. Opponents criticized the Pennsylvania Democrat’s October interview with NBC, during which he relied on closed-captioning technology to understand the reporter’s questions and sometimes mixed up words, and slammed his shaky debate performance. Though Fetterman provided some information from his doctor in the months leading up to the election, he would not release his full medical records, and critics questioned his ability to function in the Senate. Voters were less concerned: Fetterman handily beat Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz in one of the most competitive races in the country.

Soon after the election, the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services began talking with Fetterman about what accommodations he would need when he arrived. Primarily, he required the same sort of technology he used on the campaign trail, which allows him to read what people say in real time, much like the closed-captioning that TV viewers might use.

According to information shared exclusively with TIME, the Sergeant at Arms (SAA) has installed a permanent live caption display monitor at Fetterman’s desk in the Senate chamber that can be raised or lowered depending on whether he’s sitting or standing. There’s a similar monitor with a custom desk stand that can be placed on the dais when he takes shifts presiding over the Senate. Both wired screens will work without internet if needed, relying on the Senate Office of Captioning Services’ stenotype machines, caption encoding hardware, and staff in the Capitol itself. The SAA has further plans to improve the set-up at Fetterman’s desk with a monitor stand that blends better with the desk’s antique woodwork and can be electronically adjusted.

The SAA has also come up with a plan for Fetterman’s work during committee hearings and elsewhere around the Capitol. In those cases, Fetterman can read a live transcript of the proceedings that appears on his wireless tablet. All of the captions will be produced by professional broadcast captioners rather than artificial intelligence in order to improve accuracy. The work builds on a request from last Congress, when Senate leadership asked the SAA to move toward providing closed captioning for all Senate hearings. SAA plans to upgrade its capabilities to do so, starting with the committees Fetterman serves on. He will participate in his first committee hearings on Feb. 1…

Before desks got reshuffled, Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, sat next to Fetterman on the Senate floor. She found it easy to converse with him. “He’s got his iPad and he just reads speech-to-text,” she says. “He’s been very engaged.”

Duckworth, who lost her legs while serving in the Army in Iraq and uses a wheelchair, became the first disabled woman elected to the Senate in 2016. She says accessibility has improved since she first arrived, with the addition of a lift in the chamber that lets her preside over the Senate and a new ramp into the cloakroom.

Disabled senators have gotten other accommodations in the past, as well. Then-Senator Tim Johnson was able to use an electric scooter and have his desk moved when he returned to the Senate floor in 2007 following a brain hemorrhage. Reporters were sensitive to then-Senator Tom Harkin’s request to speak into his “good ear” by the end of his tenure in 2015. In an institution where the average age is nearly 64 and the oldest members are nearing 90, some lawmakers get subtle accommodations for their needs as they age, others point out.

“We adjust,” says Massachusetts Democrat Elizabeth Warren. “This just means the Senate caucus looks a little more like the rest of American people who have different challenges, but who are out there doing their jobs every day.”…

Senator Ben Ray Luján, a New Mexico Democrat, just marked the one-year anniversary of his own stroke, which he sustained in office and caused him to spend a month away from the Capitol. Over the past several months, he says he and Fetterman have discussed their recoveries. “You always work to get better,” Luján says. “I’ve seen that with John… Every time I’ve spoken to him, he’s been stronger and stronger.”

Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Putting in the WorkPost + Comments (145)