Tensions are rising in Congress as we near September 27th, the date centrist Democrats are demanding a vote on their bipartisan infrastructure bill. They want to pass infrastructure first at the expense of the much larger, more impactful reconciliation bill, but progressives are promising to vote down infrastructure until the two pass at the same time.
With all the fuss, you would think that the contents of the reconciliation bill would be highly controversial. In reality, however, the entirety of the Biden Build Back Better Agenda is supported by an overwhelming majority of American voters on both sides of the aisle. The only groups in opposition are the ultra-wealthy and corporate interests pushing conservative Democrats to kill the bill (and the tax hikes on the wealthy contained within).
Democrats trying to chip away at the reconciliation bill are selling their stance as the bipartisan, moderate position, but with the American people standing behind the Biden agenda, it’s clear that Wall Street Democrats are the real extremists
For this week’s Roundup, we’ll look at how taxing the rich and investing in our nation and people is incredibly popular, and how failing to reform our tax code only serves to benefit the obscenely wealthy.
The Build Back Better Plan Remains Popular by Anika Dandekar and Ethan Winter
We know that taxing the rich is good policy, but it’s becoming increasingly obvious that it’s good politics as well. The vast majority of Americans from all political affiliations, including Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike, overwhelmingly support raising taxes on the rich and corporations. Not only that, every single provision provided for in the Build Back Better plan is also supported by all groups of voters by a significant margin.
Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema, and Other Centrists are to Blame for Jeopardizing Biden’s Agenda by Greg Sargent
Even while the Build Back Better plan (especially raising taxes on the rich) is immensely popular among American voters, centrist Democrats have been digging their heels in trying to reduce the size of the bill, and in turn, cut the tax hikes that would be levied on the richest in our society. The stand these Democrats are taking has thrown a wrench in the plan to get both the infrastructure bill and a budget reconciliation package passed at the same time (a deal that the moderates previously supported). Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema, and their corporate Democrat colleagues in the House are creating a situation that threatens the passage of both bills. If the entire Democratic agenda comes crashing down, they will have no one to blame but themselves.
White House Decries Low Taxes for Rich as Congress Works on Plan by Laura Davison
A recent report shows that the 400 richest families in the United States have paid an effective tax rate of just 8.2% over the course of 8 years. This shouldn’t come as a surprise – our tax code is designed to help rich people avoid taxes – but it should be a call to action. Democrats MUST use the upcoming budget reconciliation package to end the special treatment rich people receive and finally ensure billionaires pay more in taxes than Americans who work for a living.
Congress Needs to Increase my Taxes by Rep. David Trone
This brilliant op-ed from a wealthy member of Congress echoes almost perfectly what the Patriotic Millionaires have been fighting for over the last several years. Wealthy Americans need to start paying their fair share, and through the Build Back Better plan, we finally have the chance to rewrite the tax code and create a fairer system that everyone should be on board with. The American people deserve a tax code without loopholes that allow the rich to continually get richer, one that helps to mitigate instead of contributing to wealth inequality.
