Just one month after its apparent death at the hands of Sen. Joe Manchin, the Build Back Better agenda is again being promoted by Democrats, even with few details available for what will actually be in it.
President Joe Biden’s Wednesday schedule included a meeting with CEOs to discuss how the agenda will “grow the economy and make the U.S. more competitive, increase worker productivity and workforce participation, lower inflation over the long-term, and support business growth.”
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But with no public plan released about what will remain in the slimmed-down version of the bill, it’s hard to say exactly how it would accomplish any of those goals.
The last plan included over $2 trillion in spending, ranging from subsidized child care to universal preschool, an extended child tax credit, and tax breaks for the purchase of electric vehicles. But Manchin, a centrist Democrat from West Virginia, effectively killed it off in December, citing concerns over inflation and the national debt.
Many felt that was the end of it, at least under the “Build Back Better” name. Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin, a noted Biden fan, predicted on Monday that he would drop the moniker going forward even while pursuing some of its programs.
That doesn’t appear to be the case, though some conservatives might wish it was.
“The reality is that the Build Back Better Act, whether in part or in whole, would exacerbate inflation beyond its current 40-year high, drive millions of Americans out of the labor force when half of all businesses can’t find enough workers, and give Washington even more power over Americans’ lives,” said Heritage Foundation fellow Rachel Greszler. “It’s time for the administration to give up on this socialist pipe dream and instead focus on opportunities for workers, employers, and families to thrive on their own.”
Congressional Democrats say they’re going back to the drawing board with a far narrower bill that would have to be written from scratch.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Tuesday he believes Democrats can still pass significant portions of the legislation that can pass with 51 votes in the Senate using a budgetary tactic that averts a GOP filibuster.
He acknowledged the final product may not include reviving monthly $300 checks for families with children because it’s not supported by Manchin.
Instead, the measure may be limited to universal preschool, expanded Obamacare subsidies, and limited environmental provisions that meet Manchin’s approval.
Democrats would be smart to pursue that, especially the healthcare measures, argued political strategist Brad Bannon.
“I think that, at the very least, you’re going to have votes in the Senate on items that voters liked, for instance on lowering insulin prices,” he said. “Senators should be on record on whether they support or oppose helping people suffering from diabetes. Same thing for expanding Medicare to cover dental, hearing, and eye care.”
Even if unsuccessful, those votes could appear prominently in midterm campaign ads.
“All of those things were popular with voters,” Bannon said. “This gives the administration an opportunity to resurrect at least part of the Build Back Better items, and it gives voters an opportunity to know whether their senators favor or oppose popular provisions.”
Any programs will still need Manchin’s support in the 50-50 Senate, a factor that has already seen the bill shrink from $6 trillion to less than $2 trillion.
The White House continues to insist any variation will be fully paid for, a claim it has made for months.
“Who is saying it’s not paid for?” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during Wednesday’s press briefing, “because there have been a range of economists saying it’s entirely paid for.”
The Congressional Budget Office score concluded that the original Build Back Better bill would add $367 billion to the deficit over the next decade. An alternate score that didn’t assume social programs will sunset projected it would add $3 trillion.
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But a pared-down variant may fare better both with the CBO and congressional centrists, giving Biden a much-needed win as his second year in office beings.
“You know, our Build Back Better plan is paid for,” Biden said during the meeting with CEOs. “It doesn’t increase the deficit, and, maybe the best news of all, it will actually help alleviate inflation.”
