Democrats reach deal on $3.5T price tag for infrastructure bill
[thehill.com]

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Budget Committee Democrats, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), have reached a deal on a $3.5 trillion price tag for a Democratic-only infrastructure package.

Schumer, emerging from an hours-long meeting with Budget Committee Democrats, said they had reached a deal on the budget resolution — which greenlights reconciliation, the process Democrats will use to bypass a GOP filibuster on the infrastructure bill — including a $3.5 trillion top-line figure. President Biden is coming to meet with Senate Democrats on Wednesday, as Democrats work lockdown support for the deal.

"The budget committee has come to an agreement. The budget resolution with instructions will be $3.5 trillion," Schumer said, speaking to reporters with Sanders and other members of the panel. "Every major program that President Biden has asked us for is funded in a robust way."

The deal will also include funding for expanding Medicare to cover dental, vision and hearing and address climate change — key asks from progressives including Sanders. A Democratic aide familiar with the deal said that the budget resolution will also include language prohibiting taxes from being raised on individuals who make less than $400,000 or small businesses.

"What this legislation says among many, many other things ... is the wealthy and large corporations are going to start paying their fair share of taxes, so that we can protect the working families in this country," Sanders told reporters.

The agreement is a significant breakthrough for Democrats' infrastructure push as the party faces a tight timeline and even tighter margins to advance Biden's sweeping jobs and families plan.

Schumer has vowed to hold votes on two pieces before the Senate breaks for the August recess: A smaller $1.2 trillion over eight years bipartisan deal and the budget resolution that includes the instructions for and sets up a separate Democratic-only bill.

To pass both the budget resolution and a $3.5-trillion infrastructure bill through the Senate Democrats will need total unity from all 50 of their members. Democrats declined to say on Tuesday night if they had unified support.

Great… But will Mexico pay for it?

And (please say yes) will they F the Filibuster rule ?

Quote
cbelt3
And (please say yes) will they F the Filibuster rule ?

the article says Reconciliation which means they are bypassing messing with the filibuster rule.

---

"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama

Yes

Expanding Medicare to cover hearing, vision and dental is very good.

Quote
Lemon Drop
Expanding Medicare to cover hearing, vision and dental is very good.

VERY good. Deaf, blind, and unable to chew is no way to go through your golden years.

(Paraphrase Animal House)

Quote
Steve G.
Democrats declined to say on Tuesday night if they had unified support.

Which means they probably don't have unified support. Manchin wants all this paid for - he says he doesn't want so much debt - but he also doesn't want to raise taxes on rich people to pay for it. My guess is Manchin (and maybe a couple of other Democratic senators) will "force" the Democrats into paring the total down to something like a third of the $3.5T. I hope I'm wrong.

---

e pluribus unum



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/2021 10:39AM by Ted King.

Quote
cbelt3

Quote
Lemon Drop
Expanding Medicare to cover hearing, vision and dental is very good.

VERY good. Deaf, blind, and unable to chew is no way to go through your golden years.

B-b-b-but how will we pay for it?

We can't put any burden on the wealthy! They are barely hanging on!

Quote
Lux Interior
We can't put any burden on the wealthy! They are barely hanging on!

It is a bumpy ride into space.

Quote
Lux Interior

Quote
cbelt3

Quote
Lemon Drop
Expanding Medicare to cover hearing, vision and dental is very good.

VERY good. Deaf, blind, and unable to chew is no way to go through your golden years.

B-b-b-but how will we pay for it?

We can't put any burden on the wealthy! They are barely hanging on!

"You leave that up to me, Flounder."

Seems like there may be some sort of quid pro quo in the works, WV's (read Manchin) former health commissioner was just appointed US Drug Czar, wonder what the lady from Arizona will demand.