When Nancy Pelosi first mentioned the possibility of flipping the House earlier this year, it seemed an impossible dream. That dream’s movement from impossible to simply improbable has Democrats imagining what an early Hillary Clinton agenda might bring if Democrats control both the Congress and the executive branch.
On the campaign trail, Clinton has repeatedly talked of a historic infrastructure investment, along with immediate movement on immigration issues. Heather Caygle writes:
Clinton has been talking since at least 2014 about pairing a tax cut for U.S. companies that bring earnings parked overseas back into the country with a major infrastructure package.
Some — though certainly not all — Democrats believe such a deal at the dawn of a new Congress could offer a vehicle for other big-ticket items, including immigration reform.
“I think that a jobs package absolutely will include investments in roads, bridges, schools, all the things that need to be built. That becomes, I think, the mothership to bring across the finish line other very important legislation, whether it’s on tax policy or immigration policy,” [House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier] Becerra said.
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If Democrats succeed in taking back the House, Pelosi is the odds-on favorite to be elected speaker. Given that scenario, she might also be keen to make some tweaks to Obamacare and advance paid medical leave—also Clinton priorities.
That said, it still promises to be rough sledding for Democrats with what would surely be a slim majority in the House and maybe the Senate, too. Over the weekend, I tried to parse this out in a bit more detail.
