If the Senate hasn't already fundamentally reformed—or abolished!—the filibuster in order to restore voting rights and preserve democracy, they're going to have to do it to keep the whole country from crumbling into a broken, dystopian hellscape. Or a worse one than what we're already living in. To President Joe Biden's ongoing credit, his team is crafting another big, bold physical and social infrastructure plan of something like $3 trillion, incorporating not just fixing decaying roads and bridges and water systems, but eduction and childcare and family economic support and new green technologies and projects.
Administration sources tell both The New York Times and Washington Post that officials are preparing a $3 billion package, a jobs and infrastructure plan that will be the cornerstone to his "Build Back Better" agenda. As of now, they're approaching it in multiple chunks: physical infrastructure in one and social infrastructure—domestic priorities—in the other. That's while Congress starts work on infrastructure, leaning toward a package that could be completed through budget reconciliation in the likely event no Republican support is forthcoming.
Campaign Action
As of now, officials tell the Post, they are looking at "hundreds of billions" for traditional infrastructure—roads, bridges, airports, water systems, rail—which also includes "funding for retrofitting buildings, safety improvements, schools infrastructure, and low-income and tribal groups, as well as $100 billion for schools and education infrastructure." That component also includes $400 billion for combatting climate change presumably built into all the projects—like putting electric vehicle charging stations everywhere—and $60 billion devoted to green transit. Another $46 billion is carved out for "climate-related research and development." It would also include $300 billion for housing, including $100 billion to expand housing supply for low-income people.
That's the kind of stuff that could be done largely by budget reconciliation, which congressional Democrats have at least one more stab at this year. The $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill that passed earlier this month was completed under that process, which isn't subject to the 60-vote filibuster by Republicans. Senate rules limit what can be passed under that procedure, limiting it primarily to bills that directly affect either spending or revenue, depending on how the Senate Parliamentarian (who's in charge of advising on these rules) decides to evaluate them.
Biden's other domestic priorities would be lumped into the second part of the package, and would include educational priorities like universal pre-kindergarten and free community colleges as well as free and reduced tuition at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.It would also extend the Child Tax Credit expansion included in the COVID-19 Rescue Plan for several years. That provision ups the tax credit from $2,000 per child to $3,600 for children under six and $3,000 for kids 6-17, paying the credits out as periodic (ideally monthly) cash payments instead of as lump sums at tax time. In addition to that carry-over from the Rescue Plan, it would extend the increased Affordable Care Act subsidies it includes. That's not all for healthcare, though, as they're eying a prescription drug bill that would force drug companies to lower prices or pay steep penalties.
A potential sign that the White House officials have already been in consultation with Democrats on Capitol Hill regarding their plans, Budget Committee Chair Bernie Sanders is getting ready to unveil his own prescription drug bills, three of them. One would index drug prices in the U.S. to the price of them on the global market, one would allow Medicare to obtain prescription drugs in a competitive bidding process, and a third would allow Americans to import prescription drugs from foreign makers. He says he's prepared to use reconciliation to get them through. Any reconciliation bill goes through Sanders and his committee.
Whether or not these bills come down to happening through reconciliation or regular order depend on Republicans. They're already setting up the "liberal wish list" talking points against the bill, as well as laying down markers about raising taxes. "I don't think there’s going to be any enthusiasm on our side for a tax increase," Mitch McConnell said in the most obvious understatement ever. Having proven that they can get really big things done without Republicans once already with the Rescue Plan, the White House doesn't necessarily have to chase those Republican votes this time.
That's not to say they're going to aggressively on the raising taxes part of this. Not yet, anyway. "President Biden and his team are considering a range of potential options for how to invest in working families and reform our tax code so it rewards work, not wealth," Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said about the plan. "Those conversations are ongoing, so any speculation about future economic proposals is premature and not a reflection of the White House's thinking."
Meanwhile, the perpetual thorns in the Democrats' side, Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, are still making anti-filibuster noises. Manchin has already ruled out using budget reconciliation again for an infrastructure bill. Which takes us back to the filibuster.
Ten Senate Republicans aren't going to jump ship to join Democrats on what's going to be a massively popular new agenda from Biden, one that brings jobs and economic help and functioning systems back. They just aren't. We're back at the now-getting-old question: will Manchin and Sinema stand in the way of progress, of their president, for what appear to be nothing other than ego trips?