‘I don’t think the president is looking for the guidance of members of Congress who stood by while… the leader of their party fomented an insurrection’ — Jen Psaki on GOP criticism of Gen. Milley pic.twitter.com/wEygiX2OmL
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) September 15, 2021
Is Our Media Learning? (Of course not, it’s against their code.)
Seeing a lot of posts about "how the system was not build to contain an insane President" which let Republicans off the hook way too easily. trump was impeached twice!!! The GOP voted against removal! It's on them!
— veto players stan account (@Convolutedname) September 15, 2021
Democrats prepare for next phase of budget fight as House readies package and Biden meets with Senate skeptics https://t.co/IfxG7Cxj8G
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 15, 2021
We have to elect more Democrats, so the same handful of show ponies lose their chance to stunt for their media enablers:
With the sound of one final gavel, House Democrats on Wednesday completed the mammoth task of translating President Biden’s economic vision into a $3.5 trillion tax-and-spending proposal — marking a major milestone in a fight that’s still far from finished.
Assembling the House package proved to be an enormous undertaking, as Democrats raced over the past week to produce roughly 2,600 pages of legislative text spanning the party’s vast policy ambitions. The measure seeks to shepherd major changes to federal health care, education, immigration, climate and tax laws, introducing a sprawling set of federal programs that Democratic leaders have described as historic in their size and scope.
But the fruits of lawmakers’ labors quickly seemed overshadowed by political reality. A proposal that would try to lower the cost of prescription drugs for millions of seniors appeared in fresh jeopardy, after a small group of Democrats dealt it an early blow in the House. The fuller $3.5 trillion plan, meanwhile, faced even more significant hurdles in the Senate — prompting Biden to embark on a renewed effort Wednesday to try to reassure wavering members of his own party…
For now, at least, House Democrats have secured the general policy objectives Biden outlined in the two blueprints he unveiled earlier this year. The president and his congressional allies have framed their $3.5 trillion agenda through the prism of history, likening it to the Great Society and New Deal investments from generations past.
The Build Back Better Act aims to expand Medicare, offering seniors access to hearing, dental and vision benefits. It also would extend a flurry of tax credits and other programs that make insurance more accessible and affordable, including for low-income Americans who seek coverage under Medicaid…
Democrats further set in motion a plan for roughly $750 billion to improve education and child care, including a new program that guarantees prekindergarten for all children ages 3 and 4. They authorized 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave for most working Americans, remedying a patchwork that leaves many without benefits today. And they crafted what lawmakers have described as the most significant set of legislative reforms ever to combat climate change, including a flurry of programs that reward clean energy, penalize polluters and help Americans finance more environmentally friendly homes and vehicles.
Much of the work is financed through a series of tax increases targeting wealthy Americans, profitable corporations and investors. The tax hikes stop short of what Biden initially had recommended, including by omitting new taxes targeting inheritances passed between family members. But they generally accomplish Democrats’ aims to unwind the tax cuts enacted under President Donald Trump four years earlier — all while raising about $2.9 trillion in revenue to cover the cost of the bill. Democrats contend the entire measure is financed in full since it fosters economic gains that essentially pay for themselves…
The still-widening schisms ultimately did not seem to faze Pelosi, who sent a second letter to House Democrats on Wednesday in the hours before lawmakers concluded their work.
“The vision and knowledge of President Biden and Congressional Democrats,” she began, “has enabled us to be on schedule in delivering the Build Back Better agenda.”
Thursday Morning Open Thread: The Work Goes OnPost + Comments (163)