It’s crunch time for the Democrats’ jobs and infrastructure package, also known as the reconciliation bill or the Build Back Better plan.
There’s a big debate in Congress right now between members who support a more ambitious package a handful of moderates and conservatives trying to pare it back. But there’s not much debate among the American people, as Sondra Youdelman explains this week. In fact, the bill’s main provisions — more health and child care, green jobs, lower drug prices, and the like — are really, really popular. So is the idea of funding them by reversing big tax cuts for the wealthy.
The “debate” comes down to a big lobbying push by corporations and their associations, Sondra argues. And she has the spending figures to prove it.
Also this week, Brian Wakamo explains how — with a little pressure — the bill could also eliminate a tax loophole that’s helping private equity investors kill businesses and put Americans out of work. And, in our latest narrative piece on poverty, Tammy Rojas talks about her journey from would-be nurse to underpaid home health aid to community health advocate. If you’ve ever struggled to pay bills or get health care, you’ll want to read her story.
Finally, Khalil Bendib offers a powerful cartoon on the disgraceful treatment of Haitian migrants and refugees at the U.S.-Mexico border.
New This Week…
Big Money’s War on the Build Back Better Plan | Sondra Youdelman
The administration’s jobs and infrastructure package is very popular, but corporate lobbyists are fighting it tooth and nail.
With Health Care At Stake, Our Voices Should Count | Tammy Rojas
I know what going without care is like. With hospitals closing and insurance still hard to get, we need to organize for something better.
To Save Jobs and Fund Infrastructure, Close This Loophole | Brian Wakamo
Greedy private equity executives often pay lower tax rates than the employees they put out of work. Here’s how to fix it.
America Is Back… | Khalil Bendib
… To its old tricks?
In Case You Missed It…
The Simplest, Most Effective, and Popular Way to Fund the Jobs Bill | Chuck Collins
Even Trump voters like the idea of a modest extra tax on multimillionaires.
Prepare for the Next Pandemic Today | Gabe Bankman-Fried
A small investment now could mean more protective equipment and faster vaccine development before the next plague hits.
Unemployment Insurance Isn’t Holding Back the Economy, Inequality Is. | Rebekah Entralgo
Ending enhanced unemployment benefits didn’t get people back to work. It just made them poorer.
What the Expanded Child Tax Credit Means to Me | La’Shon Marshall
I grew up poor and traumatized, not knowing how to get help. Now my own child’s life will be better.
