Tomorrow Chuck Schumer is going to meet with Democratic members of the Senate budget committee to begin the process of going forward with the infrastructure bill via reconciliation, says The Hill.
He’s also going to submit a pared-down infrastructure bill via regular order in July.
That bill would need 60 votes to pass outside the reconciliation process. But it’s running into opposition from Senate progressives such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) who say they won’t vote for a bipartisan infrastructure bill unless all 50 members of the Democratic caucus agree on the size and shape of the later reconciliation bill, which needs unanimous Democratic support to pass the 50-50 Senate.
“Both are moving forward, the bipartisan track and the track on reconciliation, and both we hope to get done in July, both the budget resolution and the bipartisan bill,” Schumer said.
This pared-down deal is the one worked out between five Republicans — Portman, Romney, Murkowski, Collins, and Cassidy — and five Democrats — Sinema, Manchin, Warner, Shaheen, and Tester. The New York Times:
The framework is expected to include about $579 billion in new spending as part of an overall package that would cost about $974 billion over five years and about $1.2 trillion over eight years, according to two people familiar with the details, who disclosed them on the condition of anonymity. The outline is expected to address a narrower range of physical infrastructure projects and to avoid the Democratic push for tax increases; but it is also likely to suggest indexing the gas tax to inflation as one of the mechanisms for paying for the plan.
Basically, it’s a tiny fraction of new spending needed, there are no tax increases (except on gas, which would be a burden to poor working folks), and the climate change requirements are all taken out. A whole lot of Democrats have already said they won’t support it. But putting forward the weaker bill appears to be part of the process of winning Joe Manchin’s vote to pass the stronger bill.
Well, good luck to us.
Yeah, good luck to us.
'Cause we're gonna need it.
This hybridized mish-mash of weak teas sucks snakes!!!
We need at least 2 to 3 trillion dollars to repair and update the "traditional" infrastructure.
And then, we need 5G and broadband access nationwide. Also, Pre-K, and childcare.
And also, more advanced public transportation options.
Free college won't start on its own.
We need large tangible improvements ASAP, because the infrastructure work will take years! Years!!!
Imo: we go big, or democracy goes boom!
This compromise can't stand, because if it's allowed to, America's form of representative democracy is sure to fail!
Oh, and, TAX THE FECKIN' RICH FECKS!!!!!!
They and their companies use more, and get more benefits from infrastructure improvements, than regular folks, SO THEY NEED TO PAY THEIR SHARE.
And after years (decades, really) of tax avoidance, MORE THAN THEIR SHARE!!!
Not meaning to show my age (Saul Alinsky dies in the 70s.) but the king of activism said you agitate for everything you want. In the end, if you can only get half, you take it and begin agitating the day after for the other half. Politics is never about absolutes – it's about trends.
With all the attention paid Manchin, there's another story, IMO. MOST Democrats in Congress do NOT support higher taxes on rich folks and corporations. Biden wanted the wade in ankle-deep with a tax hike on corporations of a few percent. The infrastructure bill is getting pared back so that a tax increase isn't a requirement. That's in order to pass the bill by reconciliation with ZERO Republican votes. Yeah, Moscow Mitch is opposed to touching the tax cuts but Democrats won't put tax increases on the Senate floor because it's bad for the future employment of any Senator who aspires to become a lobbyist. (The starting pay is around 2 mil per year, and the job offer goes 'poof' if you vote to raise taxes.)
"The infrastructure bill is getting pared back so that a tax increase isn't a requirement."
Bernie Sanders, head of the Senate Budget Committee, is taking a lead role in preparing the reconciliation bill. I can't see him being okay with eliminating all the tax increases on corporations.
Sadly, our infrastructure model has become El Salvador.
A few more tax cuts for the rich (negative tax cuts? Us hoi polloi will see tax increases to pay directly to the rich people and corporations?) and more austerity and we will be there!
My apologies to the El Salvadorans. El Salvadorites? El Salvadoranians?
[email protected]
El Salvadoreños
@ciderwalk
[email protected]