The arrogance of Manchin, Sinema, and the guided progressive caucus is creating a betrayal of the president and his agenda to help the lower and middle classes. For months, negotiations tirelessly sounded like “Manchin doesn’t want that” and “Sinema refuses to vote”. The original “Make Black People Better” bill written by President Biden for $3.5 trillion included:
- Provide free preschool classes for all children aged 3 and 4 years old, which is the largest expansion of free education for all in 100 years
- Provide affordable, high-quality care at home for the elderly and disabled in the United States, while supporting the workers who provide such care.
- Up to US$3,600 (or US$300 per month) tax deductions for each child in 39 million households
- Provide a large number of consumer rebates and tax credits to reduce the cost of middle-class households switching to clean energy and electrification.
- Strengthen the Affordable Care Act and reduce premiums for 9 million Americans.
- Reduce the coverage of medical assistance and guide 4 million uninsured people to get coverage.
- Expand medical insurance to cover hearing benefits.
- The largest and most comprehensive single investment ever made in affordable housing.
- Extend the expanded income tax credit (EITC) for approximately 17 million low-wage workers.
- Investment immigration reform.
- Prevent large profitable companies from paying zero taxes to companies that buy back shares instead of investing in companies.
- The Americans with the highest income are required to pay their fair share.
- Invest in enforcing our existing tax laws, so the rich pay what they owe.
Manchin, who has financial ties to the fossil fuel industry, opposes the key measures in Biden’s Human Infrastructure Act. He opposed the amount of expenditure in the account and raised the issue of providing free community colleges and expanding medical insurance coverage. Senator Sinema opposes taxation of wealthy people or companies, but her position on other matters in the bill remains opaque. Some people worry that she may be related to special interests. She voted against Trump to cut taxes for the wealthy, but now refuses to consider raising corporate taxes to pre-tax levels.
The White House officially announced:
The Build Back Better framework has been paid in full:
“Combined with the money saved by the abolition of the Trump administration’s tax rebate rules, the plan is paid by soliciting more funds from the largest companies and the wealthiest Americans. The tax cuts in 2017 brought them windfalls. It will help reverse this situation-and invest in the future of the country. People with an annual income of less than $400,000 will not pay an extra penny in taxes.”
Republicans oppose taxing the rich, based on a failed hypothesis that billionaires and corporate wealth bring economic benefits to the middle and lower classes. This “trickle-down” economic philosophy of the Reagan era has never been realized. Trump cut taxes for the wealthy to widen the deficit, and he has never recovered the costs as promised. Republicans and Trump are good at denying their failures and lies, allowing their followers to turn a blind eye to the fact that they have nothing but seizing power, inciting division and violence, supporting Trump, and passing legislation to steal future elections.
When Buden’s agenda for the middle and lower classes is passed, MAGA supporters should be immune to their interests, because it is hypocritical to benefit from Biden’s agenda, and you support the big lie that he is not a legitimate president. Instead, follow Trump’s vision and wait like a sheep for the rich and corrupt Republicans to help families with childcare, health care, health insurance, and the threat of climate change.
