Biden infrastructure/tax increase megathread

[Pres Mike]

I strongly approve of Schumer forcing a vote. The only reason Republicans are even toying with infrastructure is to take the momentum out of reconcillation. If it was up to Portman, they would be negioating until Christmas.

[Pres Mike]

I've said it before and I'll say it again

Republicans are trying to drag this out, I'm sure of it. I do think Portman wants a deal, but I do not think he intended to be finished by the August recess.

The only reason any Republican is workin on it, even if they privately want it, is to take the air out of reconcillation.

The "moderates" know reconcillation will happen. But if they drag this out until Septemeber, maybe Manchin will be less eager for a big budget bill by Oct 1st

That is the plan. That is why Schumer needs to force things out now

[Pres Mike]

I've said it before and I'll say it again

Republicans are trying to drag this out, I'm sure of it. I do think Portman wants a deal, but I do not think he intended to be finished by the August recess.

The only reason any Republican is workin on it, even if they privately want it, is to take the air out of reconcillation.

The "moderates" know reconcillation will happen. But if they drag this out until Septemeber, maybe Manchin will be less eager for a big budget bill by Oct 1st

That is the plan. That is why Schumer needs to force things out now

This has, I think, been self-evident for a while. The only reason reconciliation isn’t just advancing on it’s own is because Manchin and Sinema want to feed their egos

If I was Biden, I would funnle millions to the few holdouts. Kill the filibuster and pass the 6 trillion by the 4th of July. Have a big party. I mean put everything from free college to the public option to $15 to immigration and teacher pay increase.

[Pres Mike]

Very funny that people here are pretending that a bill that totals to - what, an eighth? Of the original Biden proposal is somehow “getting everything we/Biden wanted”.

Elder care funding is dead. The child tax credit and universal child care are dead. If you’re happy about that, at least go ahead and admit it instead of pretending that “oh, everyone only ever actually wanted the stuff that’s in the small bill”.

What?

An eighth? Biden's original plan was 2.3 trillion, but the details were never released. Because that was never going to pass lol. Its like sticker price on a car

What he really wanted was 1.7 trillion. He is getting 1.2 trillion. That is a win, if it means giving Manchin "bipartisanship"

Elder care and child care will be passed in reconciliation. That is the American Family Plan. Congress has to pass some budget by Oct 1st and there is nothing McConnell can do to stop it.

The FY 2019 budget was 1.3 billion. Democrats want 3.5 trillion for the FY 2022. 1.6 for a boosted budget for regular things and a one time 1.7 trillion that over 10 years pays for

-free community college
-universal pre-k
-national paid leave
-double pell grants
-double title 1
-child/elder care tax credits
-EBT boosted
-Medicaid boosted
-Lower Medicare age
-Medicare covers dental, health, vision
-Obamacare subsidies

Hopefully the FY 2023 budget passed next year will have a public option

[Pres Mike]

Very funny that people here are pretending that a bill that totals to - what, an eighth? Of the original Biden proposal is somehow “getting everything we/Biden wanted”.

Elder care funding is dead. The child tax credit and universal child care are dead. If you’re happy about that, at least go ahead and admit it instead of pretending that “oh, everyone only ever actually wanted the stuff that’s in the small bill”.

What?

An eighth? Biden's original plan was 2.3 trillion, but the details were never released. Because that was never going to pass lol. Its like sticker price on a car

What he really wanted was 1.7 trillion. He is getting 1.2 trillion. That is a win, if it means giving Manchin "bipartisanship"

Elder care and child care will be passed in reconciliation. That is the American Family Plan. Congress has to pass some budget by Oct 1st and there is nothing McConnell can do to stop it.

The FY 2019 budget was 1.3 billion. Democrats want 3.5 trillion for the FY 2022. 1.6 for a boosted budget for regular things and a one time 1.7 trillion that over 10 years pays for

-free community college
-universal pre-k
-national paid leave
-double pell grants
-double title 1
-child/elder care tax credits
-EBT boosted
-Medicaid boosted
-Lower Medicare age
-Medicare covers dental, health, vision
-Obamacare subsidies

Hopefully the FY 2023 budget passed next year will have a public option

It's not like there's going to be a "cliff" if nothing happens by 10/1 right? It's not like we are going to default on the debt or there is going to be a shutdown.

Actually yes

That said, rarely is the budget passed by Oct 1

Usually they pass a temporary spending bill at current levels to buy more times. Recent years the budget was passed by December to Januarary

Nancy Pelosi forced the FY 2021 budget until the new year so that Biden could have three budgets before midterms. The ARP was just the FY 2021 budget lol

[Pres Mike]

Very funny that people here are pretending that a bill that totals to - what, an eighth? Of the original Biden proposal is somehow “getting everything we/Biden wanted”.

Elder care funding is dead. The child tax credit and universal child care are dead. If you’re happy about that, at least go ahead and admit it instead of pretending that “oh, everyone only ever actually wanted the stuff that’s in the small bill”.

What?

An eighth? Biden's original plan was 2.3 trillion, but the details were never released. Because that was never going to pass lol. Its like sticker price on a car

What he really wanted was 1.7 trillion. He is getting 1.2 trillion. That is a win, if it means giving Manchin "bipartisanship"

Elder care and child care will be passed in reconciliation. That is the American Family Plan. Congress has to pass some budget by Oct 1st and there is nothing McConnell can do to stop it.

The FY 2019 budget was 1.3 billion. Democrats want 3.5 trillion for the FY 2022. 1.6 for a boosted budget for regular things and a one time 1.7 trillion that over 10 years pays for

-free community college
-universal pre-k
-national paid leave
-double pell grants
-double title 1
-child/elder care tax credits
-EBT boosted
-Medicaid boosted
-Lower Medicare age
-Medicare covers dental, health, vision
-Obamacare subsidies

Hopefully the FY 2023 budget passed next year will have a public option

It's not like there's going to be a "cliff" if nothing happens by 10/1 right? It's not like we are going to default on the debt or there is going to be a shutdown.

Actually yes

That said, rarely is the budget passed by Oct 1

Usually they pass a temporary spending bill at current levels to buy more times. Recent years the budget was passed by December to Januarary

Nancy Pelosi forced the FY 2021 budget until the new year so that Biden could have three budgets before midterms. The ARP was just the FY 2021 budget lol

Could Schumer and Pelosi in theory use a cliff to force Senate centrists and House socialists to get together and pass SOMETHING by then?

Eh, I guess?

That would never happen though. The threat of going off a cliff is only used by opposition parties. Going off the cliff would result in millions of government workers not getting paid, causing a recession. Stock markets would crash and would kill the economy. No party in power would dare mention that

Plus it would make Democrats look weak and divided. And make leadership (Schumer and Pelosi) look like they were unable to control their members

Plus, that would probably make Manchin switch parties. We know McConnell offered that to him

Besides, the bipartisan bill will probably be passed in the next two weeks. And a rough blueprint for the budget to be worked on after the August recess and hopefully passed by October.

[Pres Mike]

Very funny that people here are pretending that a bill that totals to - what, an eighth? Of the original Biden proposal is somehow “getting everything we/Biden wanted”.

Elder care funding is dead. The child tax credit and universal child care are dead. If you’re happy about that, at least go ahead and admit it instead of pretending that “oh, everyone only ever actually wanted the stuff that’s in the small bill”.

What?

An eighth? Biden's original plan was 2.3 trillion, but the details were never released. Because that was never going to pass lol. Its like sticker price on a car

What he really wanted was 1.7 trillion. He is getting 1.2 trillion. That is a win, if it means giving Manchin "bipartisanship"

Elder care and child care will be passed in reconciliation. That is the American Family Plan. Congress has to pass some budget by Oct 1st and there is nothing McConnell can do to stop it.

The FY 2019 budget was 1.3 billion. Democrats want 3.5 trillion for the FY 2022. 1.6 for a boosted budget for regular things and a one time 1.7 trillion that over 10 years pays for

-free community college
-universal pre-k
-national paid leave
-double pell grants
-double title 1
-child/elder care tax credits
-EBT boosted
-Medicaid boosted
-Lower Medicare age
-Medicare covers dental, health, vision
-Obamacare subsidies

Hopefully the FY 2023 budget passed next year will have a public option

It's not like there's going to be a "cliff" if nothing happens by 10/1 right? It's not like we are going to default on the debt or there is going to be a shutdown.

Actually yes

That said, rarely is the budget passed by Oct 1

Usually they pass a temporary spending bill at current levels to buy more times. Recent years the budget was passed by December to Januarary

Nancy Pelosi forced the FY 2021 budget until the new year so that Biden could have three budgets before midterms. The ARP was just the FY 2021 budget lol

Could Schumer and Pelosi in theory use a cliff to force Senate centrists and House socialists to get together and pass SOMETHING by then?

Eh, I guess?

That would never happen though. The threat of going off a cliff is only used by opposition parties. Going off the cliff would result in millions of government workers not getting paid, causing a recession. Stock markets would crash and would kill the economy. No party in power would dare mention that

Plus it would make Democrats look weak and divided. And make leadership (Schumer and Pelosi) look like they were unable to control their members

Plus, that would probably make Manchin switch parties. We know McConnell offered that to him

Besides, the bipartisan bill will probably be passed in the next two weeks. And a rough blueprint for the budget to be worked on after the August recess and hopefully passed by October.

If Manchin wanted to switch parties, would he have done so? Of course Sinema could never be a Republican so she is just SOL if nothing happens at all.

Manchin probably won't switch parties. Based off his voting record, its clear he is a Democrat. He had numerous chances to switch but didn't because he doesn't want to

That said, we can never be sure. If we bully him, the offer to switch and serve another term won't be so bad

[Pres Mike]

Yeah that's fair.

We'll see what happens. Obama got 2 heavy lifts through during the trifecta, and if Biden gets this it will be 2 heavy lifts as well. We'll see if he can do more.

I still think his agenda is essentially over after this and the probable passing of the reconciliation bill.

If Joe Biden gets the of the reconciliation bill I agree that it will be over, but that is mainly because he actually succeeded in doing, what he set out to do and not because his agenda was cut short like Obama or Trump. He basically would be 1 of the few presidents who largely succeeded in getting most of their agenda through Congress

1. A Covid relief bill that introduced major new polices like the child tax credit

2. A bipartisan bill that is the largest investment in infrastructure since Dwight D. Eisenhower began the interstate highway system.

3. A reconciliation bill that deals with everything from childcare to climate change

Biden would have accomplished in 1 year what most presidents fail to do in 4 or even 8 years

Normally presidents fail to get a lot of what they want in their first term, so they spend the next election, telling voters if they are reelected they will finally deliver on a lot of what they promise them 4 years ago, but in Biden case he would in the rare position where his accomplishments would actually make a second term seem kind of pointless.

What about the FY 2023 bill? We could pass it before the midterms. Any hope for a public option?

[Pres Mike]

Yeah that's fair.

We'll see what happens. Obama got 2 heavy lifts through during the trifecta, and if Biden gets this it will be 2 heavy lifts as well. We'll see if he can do more.

I still think his agenda is essentially over after this and the probable passing of the reconciliation bill.

Why are people forgetting the FY 2023 bill? We could pass it before the midterms and have the public option in it. A public option could solve the biggest problems we have with healthcare

[Pres Mike]

Yeah that's fair.

We'll see what happens. Obama got 2 heavy lifts through during the trifecta, and if Biden gets this it will be 2 heavy lifts as well. We'll see if he can do more.

I still think his agenda is essentially over after this and the probable passing of the reconciliation bill.

If Joe Biden gets the of the reconciliation bill I agree that it will be over, but that is mainly because he actually succeeded in doing, what he set out to do and not because his agenda was cut short like Obama or Trump. He basically would be 1 of the few presidents who largely succeeded in getting most of their agenda through Congress

1. A Covid relief bill that introduced major new polices like the child tax credit

2. A bipartisan bill that is the largest investment in infrastructure since Dwight D. Eisenhower began the interstate highway system.

3. A reconciliation bill that deals with everything from childcare to climate change

Biden would have accomplished in 1 year what most presidents fail to do in 4 or even 8 years

Normally presidents fail to get a lot of what they want in their first term, so they spend the next election, telling voters if they are reelected they will finally deliver on a lot of what they promise them 4 years ago, but in Biden case he would in the rare position where his accomplishments would actually make a second term seem kind of pointless.

What about the FY 2023 bill? We could pass it before the midterms. Any hope for a public option?

I would be shocked if Dems try to pass anything as big as a public option during an election year

It would turn into a huge partisan fight since we know that not a single Republican will vote for it and the healthcare industry will also be against it. I can't see kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, supporting something like that next year

Ultimately, whatever charges the Dems want for the healthcare system better be in the current reconciliation bill because there is no chance that is getting done in a FY 2023 bill

Passing the public option would boost Democrats in the midterms. Its easily the most important issue for me and the #1 reason for voting Democrat in 2020

I'll still vote Democrat in 2022 regardless but disheartened if I don't get a public option

[Pres Mike]

Passing this and the For the People Act would make Biden a historic president. This alone would write Biden into the history books with the likes of FDR and LBJ as one of the most anti-poverty presidents ever. Bidenomics here we come!

Biden needs to do a public option, increase teacher pay, minimum wage, student debt, ban gerrymandering and protect the grid from EMP, cyber, and climate

Than he gets rushmore. Hopefully he does this in the FY 2023 bill

[Pres Mike]

Just to head any Sinema/Manchin discussion off, remember guys, if this ends up failing or getting watered down because of our two red-state Dems, don't waste your time bashing Sinema/Manchin/Biden/Schumer/whoever on Twitter.

Expend your time, energy and money helping us win in WI, PA, NC and OH, and hold AZ, GA, NH, and NV.

If we win 6 of those 8 seats then we never have to worry about what Sinema/Manchin think ever again.

Even if Democrats gain seats in the senate, the republicans will take the house unless we ban gerrymandering

[Pres Mike]

This is what a successful presidency looks like, one that follows through on its promises concretely, rather than bloviating on it year after year.

Biden has objectively accomplished a lot in the first 7 months. Hope the American people actually pay attention.

Doesn't help that Cuomo finally decided to resign like 30 minutes after the bill's passing. His resignation is going to get a bulk of coverage.

Nah it just makes the news day better

I agree

Getting rid of a distraction like Cuomo around the same time that they finally passed their infrastructure bill is like icing on the cake lol

I hate to mention the Orange Hitler, but he must be fuming. He avoided attacking Biden last Summer, sure he would be replaced by Cuomo, who Trump feared would be much stronger

Of course that was never an option, but Cuomo on the ticket would have led to these stories coming out sooner and Trump winning 40 states. (Assuming Sanders not being on the ticket didn't already lead to 30% of the party staying home)

[Pres Mike]

Was this 550 billion or 1.3 trillion

The government already spends 600 billion every five years from the original highway act, the bill was most recently authorized in 2015

Last year during COVID, it was supposed to be reauthorized but was just given a one year authorization

Demcorats boosted it to 750 billion every five years. The extra 550 billion is a one time thing

(Trillion sounds nice)

[Pres Mike]

Biden still has in the 3.5 trillion plan

-universal pre-k
-free community college
-national paid leave
-child care credit for next 10 years
-lower Medicare age to 60
-Dental, Vision, Hearing under Medicare
-Obamacare subsidies making plans cheaper
-price caps on drugs
-PRO Union Act
-Immigration Reform (unknown plan)


If Biden can pass these things and get a public option in FY 2023 bill, he'll have the most successful presidency since LBJ

If he somehow bans gerrymandering, increase teacher pay, and raises minimum wage he'll be the greatest president in 60 years. He'll be FDR level, not LBJ level

[Pres Mike]

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/huddle/2021/08/11/an-interminable-august-recess-eve-493938?cid=hptb_secondary_0

Schumer hopes the text of the 3.5 trillion dollar bill ready by September 15th

The House will have most likely have voted for it by than and sent it to the senate.

Assuming that by September 15 that the house passes it and the text is ready, its a high chance it'll be passed by October 1st or soon after

This is ideal. The budget needs to be passed by October 1st. They could pass a tempoary budget measure though to buy time

Most budgets aren't pass until December-January,

The sooner the better. In my opinion, the American people need a solid year to see the benefits of infrastructure and reconciliation if Democrats have any chance at the midterms

[Pres Mike]

While I wish the infrastructure bill was larger and covered more (and passed sooner), I acknowledge this was probably the best path

It would have been hard to sell a 6 trillion all in one package to the public and the few senate moderates

So now the 550 billion is bipartisan so they public is ok. 3.5 trillion sounds better

[Pres Mike]

I know the plan has Medicare negioating drup prices for seniors, but will that ripple down to the rest of us?

[Pres Mike]

Schumer needs to have a reconciliation bill written and voted on by September 27. Sit that weird women from Arizona down and hash things out. Do the same with Manchin concerning a gerrymandering ban

We need all this past by October 1st

If Democrats went a chance at government for the next 40 years, we need a gerrymandering ban AND a reason for the public to vote for Democrats. Which would require a full year of social/infrastructure funding being seen

[Pres Mike]

Manchin is playing games. He is scaring Democratic leadership to bend to his whims

1.Manchin doesn't like to be rushed
2.Manchin wants his input on EVERYTHING
3. Manchin needs Republican input
4. Bills can't be seen as deficit busting

 “I, for one, won’t support a $3.5 trillion bill, or anywhere near that level of additional spending, without greater clarity about why Congress chooses to ignore the serious effects inflation and debt have on existing government programs,”

The key word is "clarity"

Basically, he wants Democrats to make the argument that this isn't a "progressive" bill but some moderate adjustments to the safety net. And he wants it "paid" for with higher taxes so it isn't seen as "deficit busting"

I do not know how much he wants cut. Hopefully not a lot. But we shouldn't be freaking out just yet

[Pres Mike]

Democrats are throwing out ideas to expand Medicaid in red states that did not join

From my understanding of the Supreme Court case, the federal states can not require states to join the Medicaid expansion if they pay part of it? Right now, the federal goverment pays roughly 90% of the Medicaid expansion from the ACA

If I understand this correctly, if the government pays 100% they can force states to have Medicaid expansion correct?

[Pres Mike]

I still think Manchin is hot air. He ended up voting for the complete 1.8 trillion American recovery plan

He may not vote for 3.5 trillion but I doubt he’ll only go only for a trillion

[Pres Mike]

I expect the increase in tobacco and vaping taxes to be removed from the final bill.

Not only a breaking of the "no new taxes on those making under 400k a year" pledge, but just terrible politics. Young people vape.

Are vapers really people, though?

The people who vape and the people who actually cast a ballot are two separate circles

[Pres Mike]

I expect the increase in tobacco and vaping taxes to be removed from the final bill.

Not only a breaking of the "no new taxes on those making under 400k a year" pledge, but just terrible politics. Young people vape.

Are vapers really people, though?

The people who vape and the people who actually cast a ballot are two separate circles

RIP my ballots

Just joking haha

That said, the political power from active vapers are almost non existent

[Pres Mike]

https://twitter.com/sarahnferris/status/1438972547576565762
I'm going to lose my mind. Can these fools and the moderate idiots just vote for both bills and be done with it??? I don't understand.

They need to agree on the bill first. We are talking about trillions of dollars here and how the average American will live for the next decade. We have less than a year before we lose our trifecta

If I was Biden, I would have had the party vote on all this months ago. But we had to take a 40 day August recess ugh