The Infrastructure Reconciliation Bill Is A Chance For Biden To Keep 20+ Percent Of His Promises At Once

     The defining moment of Joe Biden's presidency could come by the end of this year. He has the opportunity to keep up to 20 percent of his promises, partially keep several others, and otherwise make major changes to benefit the middle class. There is still uncertainty as to which parts of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, if any, will become law, and the Budget Bill is setting up a showdown. Here are some pieces that could (and, in my opinion, should) make it into the bills.

1. Raise the minimum wage to $10.10. Senators Manchin and Sinema have expressed support for a wage increase, if not $15. President Obama signed an executive order making the minimum wage for federal employees $10.10 in 2014. President Biden raised this to $15 in April. He should codify President Obama's executive order, which would also allow  

2. Guarantee seven days of paid sick leave. This has been receiving increasing support among Democrats and Republicans, especially with the pandemic.

3. Guarantee 12 weeks of family and medical leave. We are one of only a few nations that does not offer paid leave for maternity, paternity, severe illness, and child care, and finishing what President Clinton started in 1993 should be a priority as we recover.

4. Offer universal Pre-K. This has already been confirmed as a part of the package and would make what once seemed a progressive dream reality.

5. Offer universal community and technical colleges. This has also been confirmed as part of the package and would be the most bold action taken to help create blue collar jobs in American history.

6. Increase funding for HBCUs, TCUs, and under-resourced MSIs. The Biden administration pledged $18 billion in increased funding for schools with high proportions of minority students, and this would be an easy promise to keep with a dramatic impact as part of the $3.5 trillion bill.

7. Stop for-profit education programs from profiteering off of students. This would not cost much money; it is a policy change. However, it would fulfill a campaign promise and fit with the themes of education and healthcare.

8. Increase Pell Grants. President Biden pledged to double the Pell Grant; his American Families Plan included a 25 percent increase as what he called a "down payment" and could help some students avoid college debt entirely.

9. No tax increase for anyone making less than $400,000. This one is easy: it's something not to do. Democrats support reducing or at the very least not raising taxes on the middle class; Republicans simply imply Democrats worship taxes because the GOP serves corporations and the ultra-rich. 

10. Raise the corporate income tax rate to 28 percent. Trump cut the income tax for corporations and the wealthy from 35 percent to 21 percent (his goal was 15 percent). This boost would not fully undo Trump's corporate giveaway, but it would help pay for what is the most expensive action Congress has ever taken and fulfill one of his biggest promises.

11. Establish an offshoring tax penalty. This can help stop corporations from evading paying taxes in the United States while paying slave wages to employees. When combined with a global 15 percent minimum corporate tax that is being negotiated, this would close corporate loopholes and further pay for the bill.

12. Change the tax code so pharmaceutical production stays in the United States. Changing the tax code was a priority for Donald Trump in 2017; we need to implement sweeping tax changes to pay for this bill, keep the promises we made to Americans, and reduce the cost of prescription drugs.

13. Institute a wealth tax. Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson went to space. They can afford to pay for a wage increase and some time off.

14. Repeal law barring Medicare from negotiating lower prices on prescription drugs. President Biden included this in his American Families Plan, so it should be part of the bill and would directly reduce the cost of prescription drugs.

15. Lower the Medicare eligibility age to 60 or 55. We will expand Medicare and Medicaid with this bill. The life expectancy in the United States dropped 1.5 years thanks to COVID-19, and most Americans support lowering the Medicare eligibility age. Either 60 or 55 could apply, depending on what Democrats are able to get 50 votes in support of.

16. Expand Medicaid to include dental, hearing, and vision coverage. Medicare and Medicaid have been priorities for Senator Sanders in his role as chair of the Budget Committee, and this would slash the rate of people, especially seniors, going without the dignity glasses, hearing aids, and dental care afford because of America's high costs for healthcare. 

17. Allow the import of prescription drugs from Canada. Canadians pay roughly 10 percent of what Americans do for their drugs, and this initiative would drastically reduce the cost Americans pay for their prescriptions.

18. Improve Obamacare. President Biden promised to restore and build on Obamacare. President Trump used reconciliation to attack it; we need to use reconciliation to keep another one of President Biden's biggest promises.

19. Reduce the health uninsured rate for black Americans. Black Americans are nearly 40 percent more likely to lack health insurance, and any initiatives that could seek to reduce this disparity would have a major impact.

20. Reduce the cost of prescription drugs. See above.

21. Invest in America's care economy. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework gutted President Biden's plan to help the home healthcare workers who were pushed to the brink by COVID-19; this is an opportunity to correct this.

22. Expand and extend the Child Tax Credit. We expanded the Child Tax Credit in the American Rescue Plan Act to $3,600. President Biden has suggested going as high as $8,000. For now, at least, we need to make the change begun in ARPA permanent.

23. Expand broadband or 5G to every American. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework would include $65 billion for broadband; the home learning experience highlighted the importance of this issue. An estimated $80 billion is needed to secure universal broadband. This bill, combined with funds used by states from ARPA, would essentially secure universal broadband.

24. Increase access to affordable housing. Any amount of money (President Biden wants $213 billion) to expand America's existing programs to help housing access, especially as we recover from this devastating pandemic, would fulfill this promise and help hundreds of thousands of Americans.

25. Provide Section 8 vouchers to families to cap housing costs at 30 percent of a family's income. See above.

26. Create a Civilian Conservation Corps. Drawing from the famous Civilian Conservation Corps of the New Deal, this proposed program could put countless hundreds of thousands of Americans to work planting trees, capping oil wells, conducting mine reclamation, installing and maintaining solar panel and EV infrastructure, and more. This has already been confirmed as part of the bill.

27. Give disadvantaged communities 40 percent of spending benefits related to clean energy. Clean energy would produce billions in benefits related to energy savings, health improvement, and more. This bill will direct 40 percent of these benefits directly to the communities most impacted by the racist placement of fossil fuel projects.

28. Create one million auto industry jobs. If we want to fight climate change, start rebuilding American manufacturing (especially in the auto industry), and fully restore the U.S. economy, we need to focus on electric vehicles. Senator Schumer's "Clean Cars for America" initiative would do just that.

     The American Rescue Plan Act got the ball rolling on, well, rescuing the country from COVID-19 and providing direct relief to Americans. This landmark package will help us mount a successful recovery, and it is certainly something to be excited about.