President Biden returned to Capitol Hill one more time...with a framework of what’s supposed to be in the big spending package, for real this time.
What’s in: child care, universal pre-kindergarten and a tax credit for parents, big spending on climate change policies and more subsidies for people to buy health insurance.
What’s out: a heavily hacked-at paid leave program.
Is this the final-final-final deal? Will Democrats agree on it? And what about the pay-fors? Who’s rich enough to face a higher tax rate under this plan? And what about the cliffs and sunsets in this package? Many of these programs are currently temporary programs. Democrats are betting they’ll be popular and Republicans will have no choice but to extend them. Josh Barro, Tim Carney, Liz Bruenig and special guest Matt Bruenig (it’s Take Your Husband On LRC today) look at the big picture of this proposed social safety net.
Then: national attention has turned to the Virginia governor’s race next week, and much of that attention and local attention has revolved around schools: mask mandates, vaccine mandates, curriculum, assigned books and more.
Finally: subsidizing the wealthiest, which end-of-the-year holiday Liz considers a bump in the road, and $5 gas in West Hollywood.