Biden infrastructure/tax increase megathread

[Frodo]

No one expected this to be easy, even under reconciliation:

Dentists, insurers aim to pare down Dems’ Medicare expansion
Prospects for Medicare expansion are further complicated by a price tag that could exceed $350 billion over a decade and surpass the cost of other health priorities under discussion.

[KaiserDave]

Truly disgusting

[S019]

...and Republicans are going to runs ads about how Democrats voted against the bipartisan infrastructure bill

Great job!

If Democrats are going to run their legislative agenda based on what Republicans are going to run ads against, I suppose Congress should just go back to naming post offices.

I couldn't care less about what Republicans are going to run ads about. They're going to run ads against President Biden, against Speaker Pelosi, and against Leader Schumer. They're always going to find something. I'd rather have something to show for it for the American people than sit around and do nothing and lose our majorities anyway. I think Pelosi herself said that passing the ACA was worth losing the House Majority and her Speakership. If Democrats get can get the bipartisan bill, the reconciliation bill, and a voting rights bill through Congress, it would be a monumental victory for the party and President Biden going into the midterms.

I agree, but unlike these two bills, the voting rights bill would require filibuster reform, which seems very unlikely. I do think these infrastructure packages will get done in the end, mostly because Pelosi is good at whipping votes, my biggest concern honestly is that Sinema has repeatedly refused to support a $3.5 T package and however much money she wants taken out of it will obviously make a big difference (for instance her pulling 1 T from it would be far worse than her pulling 500 B)

[politicallefty]

How many of these "progressives" are running for re-election in Republican-leaning districts?

Given the choice between a a Democrat acting like a Republican and an actual Republican, they'll choose the real thing. There were 34 Democrats in the House that voted against final passage of the ACA. By 2014, only 4 had seats in Congress. That number is now 1 (Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts). How about trying to run as a Democrat on bread and butter issues that the voters actually care about? The reconciliation bill is the Democratic Party starting to get back to its New Deal/Great Society roots.

...and Republicans are going to runs ads about how Democrats voted against the bipartisan infrastructure bill

Great job!

If Democrats are going to run their legislative agenda based on what Republicans are going to run ads against, I suppose Congress should just go back to naming post offices.

I couldn't care less about what Republicans are going to run ads about. They're going to run ads against President Biden, against Speaker Pelosi, and against Leader Schumer. They're always going to find something. I'd rather have something to show for it for the American people than sit around and do nothing and lose our majorities anyway. I think Pelosi herself said that passing the ACA was worth losing the House Majority and her Speakership. If Democrats get can get the bipartisan bill, the reconciliation bill, and a voting rights bill through Congress, it would be a monumental victory for the party and President Biden going into the midterms.

I agree, but unlike these two bills, the voting rights bill would require filibuster reform, which seems very unlikely. I do think these infrastructure packages will get done in the end, mostly because Pelosi is good at whipping votes, my biggest concern honestly is that Sinema has repeatedly refused to support a $3.5 T package and however much money she wants taken out of it will obviously make a big difference (for instance her pulling 1 T from it would be far worse than her pulling 500 B)

I agree that the voting rights issue is far more difficult on account of the filibuster. I don't think we've reached the inflection point on that yet. I think it's coming soon considering the anti-gerrymandering provisions, but probably not until after the infrastructure and reconciliation bills are resolved. That will require President Biden to personally push Manchin and Sinema and any other wavering Senators to carve out an exception to the filibuster. If he truly believes that we need reform on that issue, he will push those individual Senators as much as he can. As for Sinema, I would hope she would be concerned with the recent actions in her own state's government.

I'm also not sure that the reconciliation bill will be passed as a $3.5 trillion measure. On the other hand, President Biden proposed a $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus package on his first day in office. There was some fuss made and some changes made, but it was still a $1.9 trillion package. This will be different, due in no small part to the honeymoon being over. I think giving up anything more than 10% of the reconciliation is a bridge too far and requires some hardball politics. It will require serious effort by President Biden as well as Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer.

[Hope For A New Era]

how's it looking?

i'm concerned (and troubled, and worried, and potentially disappointed)

[Frodo]

Corporate America is on the warpath against the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, especially the tax increases on the wealthy and corporations to fund it:

Corporate America launches massive lobbying blitz to kill key parts of Democrats' $3.5 trillion economic plan

It's clear they view this bill as an existential threat to them.

[Progressive Pessimist]

how's it looking?

i'm concerned (and troubled, and worried, and potentially disappointed)

This is me every day.

[Hope For A New Era]

how's it looking?

i'm concerned (and troubled, and worried, and potentially disappointed)

This is me every day.

a nation of susan collinses

Corporate America is on the warpath against the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, especially the tax increases on the wealthy and corporations to fund it:

Corporate America launches massive lobbying blitz to kill key parts of Democrats' $3.5 trillion economic plan

It's clear they view this bill as an existential threat to them.

HOLD FIRM

YOU REMEMBER TRUMAN, JOE AND NANCY

HOLD FIRM

[Obama-Biden Democrat]

Corporate America is on the warpath against the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, especially the tax increases on the wealthy and corporations to fund it:

Corporate America launches massive lobbying blitz to kill key parts of Democrats' $3.5 trillion economic plan

It's clear they view this bill as an existential threat to them.

FDR welcomed their hatred, as should Biden.

[Utah Neolib]

How much funding is there for investment in aviation biofuel research?

[pppolitics]

How many of these "progressives" are running for re-election in Republican-leaning districts?

Given the choice between a a Democrat acting like a Republican and an actual Republican, they'll choose the real thing. There were 34 Democrats in the House that voted against final passage of the ACA. By 2014, only 4 had seats in Congress. That number is now 1 (Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts). How about trying to run as a Democrat on bread and butter issues that the voters actually care about?

...you mean such as fixing bridges, filling potholes, and replacing lead pipes?

That's a great idea.

"Progressives" need to stop holding up the infrastructure bill

[KaiserDave]

Joe has a chance here to deal a stunning defeat to the worst characters of corporate America. This reconciliation bill is crucial. Don't surrender Joe!

[CookieDamage]

https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1433509319920734212?s=19

I'm sick of this Dem terrorist !!!

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1433509319920734212?s=19

I'm sick of this Dem terrorist !!!

It's an Infrastructure and Health care plan, LOL IT'S NOT A MINIMUM WAGE OR CDC BAM ON EVICTIONS OR ITS NOT A UBI PLAN and it's certainly not extending Unemployment

YANG DIDNT SSU FOR D's to end UBI once there are jobs when Covid or Income inequality leaves us

I am not worried about this and many Ds should not be either

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

If D's win the Trifecta again next yr and win 53 go oyes to bypass Sinema, Manchin and Tester, they will raise the minimum wage, pass Reparations in a new Spending bill, that's why DeSajtis and Rubio being up only 3 down from 60/40% is important to wave insurance, because NC, OH, IA and FL are wave insurance and if we beat DeAntis we crack the red wall and FL has 40% Latino like Cali and BLK and Brown dominate Dayton, Columbus, Cleveland and Toleda in OH while 60% of EC vote dominate rest of state



This bill isn't the end all be all and Bullet trains will be placed in a new Infrastructure bill too if we get 53 votes

[CookieDamage]

Nancy Pelosi has that bipartisan bill hostage for good reason. Manchin wants to kill reconciliation bill?? She can just crush the bipartisan bill.

[pppolitics]

Nancy Pelosi has that bipartisan bill hostage for good reason. Manchin wants to kill reconciliation bill?? She can just crush the bipartisan bill.

...AKA a kamikaze mission

...kill the one thing Democrats can actually run on in 2022

[CookieDamage]

Nancy Pelosi has that bipartisan bill hostage for good reason. Manchin wants to kill reconciliation bill?? She can just crush the bipartisan bill.

...AKA a kamikaze mission

...kill the one thing Democrats can actually run on in 2022

Well then maybe Manchin should stop his legislative terrorism

[pppolitics]

Nancy Pelosi has that bipartisan bill hostage for good reason. Manchin wants to kill reconciliation bill?? She can just crush the bipartisan bill.

...AKA a kamikaze mission

...kill the one thing Democrats can actually run on in 2022

Well then maybe Manchin should stop his legislative terrorism

He's from WEST VIRGINIA, not New Jersey.

He has to do what he has to do.

[CookieDamage]

Nancy Pelosi has that bipartisan bill hostage for good reason. Manchin wants to kill reconciliation bill?? She can just crush the bipartisan bill.

...AKA a kamikaze mission

...kill the one thing Democrats can actually run on in 2022

Well then maybe Manchin should stop his legislative terrorism

He's from WEST VIRGINIA, not New Jersey.

He has to do what he has to do.

Lmao this excuse again. So kill an actually helpful bill that will do good for infrastructure because West Virginia??

[pppolitics]

Nancy Pelosi has that bipartisan bill hostage for good reason. Manchin wants to kill reconciliation bill?? She can just crush the bipartisan bill.

...AKA a kamikaze mission

...kill the one thing Democrats can actually run on in 2022

Well then maybe Manchin should stop his legislative terrorism

He's from WEST VIRGINIA, not New Jersey.

He has to do what he has to do.

Lmao this excuse again. So kill an actually helpful bill that will do good for infrastructure because West Virginia??

He already voted for the infrastructure bill.

[CookieDamage]

Dems would be much better off running on an impactful 3.5T bill than some watered down flop bipartisan bill.

[pppolitics]

Dems would be much better off running on an impactful 3.5T bill than some watered down flop bipartisan bill.

It's not a "flop bill".

Do you even know what is in it?

Maybe you should find out.

[CookieDamage]

Dems would be much better off running on an impactful 3.5T bill than some watered down flop bipartisan bill.

It's not a "flop bill".

Do you even know what is in it?

Maybe you should find out.

It's not nearly as comprehensive as the reconciliation bill so yes its a flop.

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

I feel so disillusioned right now. Inaction by the Democrats have made me feel like not wanting to vote. What's the point?