Why is BBB so huge?

Can somebody explain me why Biden’s got this gigantic bill such that if Mr. Manchin decides to vote no it all falls apart? Why isn’t it like 50 little bills so that we can guarantee that at least some of it will pass?

Can someone link that video about how a bill gets passed from 7th grade?

3 Likes

I remember the song yes but he didn’t explain through rhyme why he himself wasn’t 50 littler bills.

1 Like

Because none of them would get passed

2 Likes

Here is one of the really big parts of the bill: removing the SALT cap

something from the -other- senator from West Virginia:

2 Likes
  1. Plausible deniability and accountability. Large multipart bills allow all representatives to frame the story the way they want.
  2. American’s do not hold their congressional representatives accountable for their actions regarding legislation.
1 Like

It’s about 1/4th the defense budget on and annual basis so actually its pretty small.

2 Likes

Yeah even as a NJ resident pretty crazy they intend to cut SALT taxes in a similar amount to the combined child care and universal pre-k costs.

Right. The other Ds are all upset about Manchin having veto power. I think a number of them said they wouldn’t vote for this unless their constituents got tax cuts as part of the deal.

Ah, so they’re all figuring out the game.

I don’t think Manchin will switch to the GOP, because there’s no way his boat stays afloat if he tried to pull this shit with them.

The real tragedy is we set sights so high to begin with, then inflation has settled in and now we’re meant to vote in “build back better” while the Fed needs to rapidly tighten rates. If we’d had the bill we have today 3 months ago it’d probably already be passed.

1 Like

As a D right now, Manchin has incredible power and high profile. Right now, he’d be a fool to switch parties and become 1/51. The D’s are stuck between a rock and a hard place. If they kick him out of the party, they lose their majority, McConnell becomes Majority Leader, Schumer gets demoted and all the committee chairpeople change. All this changes when the results of the 2022 US Senate races are finalized.

Is this your feeling because you think it would have increased inflation? Many experts, including the experts most commonly cited by Manchin about economic impact and inflation, say it won’t have much of an impact at all. Manchin’s insistence that cost and potential inflation impact are pure theater. He is against the climate change/energy pieces because he makes a shit ton of $$ off coal.

2 Likes

Maybe if they had given the bill a name that wasn’t stupid…

Well, it’s 49 senators vs 51 senators. It’s not Manchin per se.

If they can peel off any one of 51 senators, they’ve got it, as the VP breaks the 50-50 tie.

2 Likes

Yeah, It always irritates me when people claim it’s all up to 1 person or similar.

No, Biden & the Democrats have failed to get even half of the Senators on board.

It would be great optics if they could get a Republican on board. I think over 20 Republicans voted for the other bill. It’s possible.

If 51 Senators say “no” then tough toenails.

1 Like

I mean, in the long run inflation is going to result if the money supply increases. If we spend an extra couple trillion while we’re starting to have inflation and borrow the money to do it it seems pretty reasonable to think of that as inflationary.

Ideally we would have timed the infrastructure bill to when we were in a recession, and not cut taxes while at the height of an expansionary period under DJT. Just think of how hard it is right now to get building supplies and workmen, and we’ve just injected a huge wad of spending into that.

2 Likes

Yeah, I think Mitt Romney has voiced support previously for family leave and child credits. As The Economist wrote, the bill is such a combination it’s difficult to even summarize what’s in it.

3 Likes

I agree it’s wrong to “blame” Manchin. There are 50 other senators who would vote no.

But, I can’t help remembering that those other 50 senators represent states with 43% of the population. So to me “tough toenails” means we’re stuck with the after effects of a political compromise some group made more than two centuries ago, that we can’t fix.

3 Likes

Honestly, I live in a high-density state that “loses” from this political compromise. I always thought it was impressive foresight on behalf of the framers. Helps prevent tyranny by the majority. I see arguments that the political gridlock in this country is excessive and exacerbated by recent polarization. But at least part of it is due to the thoughtful design by the constitution framers and can be argued as a feature and not a bug

If 51% of the populace want to implement a massive bill that impacts everyone and the other 49% are adamantly against it, should that bill really pass?

1 Like