Congress’s social policy committees will convene this week to begin formally drafting Democrats’ ambitious social policy plan, which will be the most significant expansion of the nation’s safety net since the war on poverty began in the 1960s. They will be drafting legislation that will touch virtually every aspect of an American’s life, from conception to old age.
The approval of a package that may cost as much as $ 3.5 trillion over the course of the next decade is in doubt at this time. President Biden, who has staked much of his national legacy on the passage of the legislation, will need the support of all Democrats in the Senate, and in reality, all Democrats in the Senate, in order to guarantee passage of the legislation. Because two senators, Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Kyrsten Cinema of Arizona, both of whom said that they would not accept such an expensive proposal, nothing has occurred since the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010. The Democratic Party’s ability to unite will be called into question.
Because the proposed legislation can be so transformative — a cradle-to-grave rebuilding of a social security web that has been frayed by years of increasing revenue inequality, stagnating wealth, and depleted governmental resources, all of which have culminated in the worst public health disaster in a century — it has garnered widespread support.
Following the epidemic, representatives of both political parties came out in favour of saturating the economy with assistance, which relaxed the limits on government expenditure. As a result, Democrats claim that policies that have been in the works for decades — such as extending Medicare coverage or providing paid family and medical leave — have become necessary as a result of the country’s experience with the coronavirus outbreak.
