Since taking office, President Joe Biden has yet to pass a major bill backed by Democrats, however this could all change with the proposed spending bill in the House. The Biden-Harris campaign in 2020 ran on the Build Back Better Plan Platform, which is a series of bills that cover a variety of problems. From infrastructure, expanding healthcare, and the plans to solve the climate change crisis, the Build Back Better Plan is a keystone in this administration’s legacy.
But the new administration’s agenda is at a halt in congress. The spending bill has brought up controversy on both sides of the aisle, from conservatives to moderates all the way to progressives.
The proposed plan comes with $3.5 trillion price tag and key democratic priorities. With proposes such as: billions of dollars to universal pre-K, child care for working class families, tuition-free community college, historic investments and HBCUs, permanent status to some immigrants, investment in public housing, housing affordability and equity, and clean energy development. The bill covers democratic priorities Democrats have been trying to pass for years.
Conservatives say that the spending bill “goes too far” and is “not affordable.” Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell from Kentucky says that “With inflation raging … (the Democrats’ budget plan) is wildly, wildly out of proportion to what the country needs right now.” Republican Senator Mitt Romney from Utah agreed, saying in a brief interview that it was “… stunning. It’s a shocking figure, particularly at a time when the economy is already heating. It seems that our Democrat friends may have lost their bearings.”
Many conservatives are openly opposed to the proposed spending bill and likely not to vote for it
But the spending bill doesn’t need a single one of the Republicans support. With the 212 to 220 democratic majority in the house, the bill can pass without a single Republican’s vote.
Why is it the bill coming to a halt in congress? The problem lies between moderate and progressive Democrats.
Some moderate Democrats share the same concerns as republicans. Moderate Democrats, such as Senator Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, have questioned the need for trillions in new spending but have avoided committing to a spending target. Manchin even saying “Anybody moving in a direction where they think they can walk away and not have any fossil in play, that’s just wrong. It won’t happen.” And many other moderate Democrats argue that negotiating drug prices go ‘too far’ as well. This leads too many moderates being unsure where to stand.
Then there’s the progressive Democrats who are the only group in Congress who seem to be disappointed that the bill doesn’t propose more and is more expensive. Some Democrats fear that the progressives might break away from the rest of the party to demand more in the proposed bill. “We are still looking at all the details but we certainly see this as important movement forward,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal says when asked about the rumored breakaway.
The situation only gets more complicated when the Democratic leadership seems to want to please some Republicans and moderate Democrats so the bill can get bipartisan support. Nancy Pelosi disclosed in a private caucus meeting plans to possibly lower the budget to a $550 billion instead of the original $3.5 trillion budget. Talks of Pelosi‘s new plan has sparked outrage amongst progressives. The progressive Caucus issued a statement saying “we will not leave anyone behind” and “ we will vote like Democrats.” When the chair of the progressive Caucus was asked what she thought of Pelosi’s plans she responded with a simple “…try us. I have a almost 100 member caucus all willing to vote no”. Jayapal of course speaks for the progressive Caucus a 96 member caucus that without their support the spending bill has no chance of passing
With a House majority of only eight members the bills fate could end in the House without moderate and progressive support. The razor thin margin in the House and also in the Senate causes many experts to worry whether the bill will pass at all. And if not where does the administrations build back better plans stand without the spending bill.
But even with many problems in the Democratic Party and still questions in the air the White House has remained surprisedly calm. Seemingly sending a wave of reassurance, with Biden saying “we will get this done.”