Biden’s Welfare Bill

What's in—and Not in—the $1.75+ Trillion Scaled-Down Democratic Proposal

The outline below shows what has survived negotiations (so far) and what has not.⁹

What's In

$400 billion for childcare and universal preschool. The plan is designed to save most American families more than half of their spending on childcare by providing two years of free preschool for every 3- and 4-year-old in America and additional funding for childcare.

Subsidies go to public schools. Most child care is provided by grandparents.

https://www.educationnext.org/the-problems-with-bidens-universal-pre-k-proposal-interview-renner/

Family and medical leave. Permanently authorizes the first-ever national paid family and medical leave guarantee for U.S. workers that provides up to four weeks of paid leave.

Businesses pay the bill and pass the cost on to consumers.

$200 billion for Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Credit. The proposal extends the expanded Child Tax Credit for one year and provides additional funds to extend the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit.

Grandparents are subsidizing their children who need help.

$150 billion for home care. This funding expands home care for older people and those with disabilities.

This is already provided.

$150 billion for housing. The plan invests in affordable housing, including construction and rehabilitation of homes, as well as investments in rental assistance and housing vouchers.

This opens zoning to ruin your home equity.

$40 billion higher ed and workforce development. The legislation will increase Pell grants and provide post-high school education opportunities including apprenticeship programs for underserved communities.

This goes to public schools.

$25 billion for the Small Business Committee. This provides for small business access to credit, investment, and markets.

SBA already provides credit for bad business plans.

$90 billion for equity and other investments. Spending in this area will be designed to achieve equity through investments in maternal health, community violence interventions, and nutrition according to the White House.

This does not prevent crime.

$5 billion in supply chain investments. These investments will be designed to safeguard our economy and support domestic job growth.

This supports imports.

$10 billion to support child nutrition. This investment will help expand eligibility and eliminate paperwork so more children can receive free school meals.

This goes to public schools.

State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction relief. Accomplished by increasing and applying the cap over the long-term, allowing states and counties to raise more revenue to deliver essential public services.

This subsidy goes to millionaires.

Agreement to lower prescription drugs costs. The compromise plan would reduce the price of insulin and halt drug price hikes above inflation, which affects all Americans. Older Americans in particular would benefit from Medicare's ability to negotiate prescription drug prices in its Part B and Part D program. In addition, the compromise limits Medicare out-of-pocket copays and caps drug costs for Medicare recipients at $2,000 per year.

Trump’s plan was better. This plan would restrict useful drugs.

$130 billion in ACA credits. This money will be used to expand affordable healthcare coverage, reduce premiums for more than 9 million Americans, and deliver healthcare to uninsured people in states that are not enrolled in expanded Medicaid coverage.

This is a subsidy for Obamacare.

$35 billion Medicare hearing coverage. While dental and vision coverage did not make the cut, Medicare recipients will have coverage for hearing aids and hearing tests. The funding will also cover nursing home transparency and staffing standards, and bolster funding for the Elder Justice Act program.

This is not necessary.

$550+ billion for clean energy and climate. The plan proposes cutting greenhouse gas pollution by over a gigaton in 2030, reducing consumer energy costs, helping to create more clean air and water, and creating hundreds of thousands of jobs.

This increases spending on wind and solar.

Corporate alternative minimum tax. A 15% minimum tax on companies whose financial statements show at least $1 billion in profit—proposed by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), Angus King (I., Maine) and Ron Wyden (D., Ore.)—has been added to the current Build Back Better legislation to help fund it.

Businesses pay the additional tax and pass the costs on to consumers.

$100 billion for immigration. This is part of the framework, but also separate since it requires a ruling by the Senate parliamentarian. This would constitute an investment to reform the immigration system, reduce backlogs, expand legal representation, and make border processing more efficient and humane.

This would expand immigration, not limit it.

What's Out

Medicare dental and vision benefits. Although these became victims of the budgeting axe, hearing aids and testing survived the cut.

Free community college. Expansion of Pell grants and apprenticeship training remains, but free community college was taken out.

Billionaires income tax. This funding plan, which would have taxed the unrealized gains of certain assets of around 700 of the richest taxpayers in the country and helped fund the legislation, was removed.

https://www.investopedia.com/here-s-what-s-in-the-usd1-trillion-infrastructure-bill-passed-by-the-senate-5196817

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader