John,
As chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Senator Bernie Sanders proposed a $6 trillion reconciliation bill, which after a great deal of debate and discussion was compromised down to a much smaller $3.5 trillion package.
This vital legislation, which uplifts working families and is fully paid for by raising taxes on the rich, cannot be dwindled down any further because $3.5 trillion is the floor, not the ceiling.
We’ve already made all of our compromises.
Progressives now need to stand as strong as possible to ensure that each of the programs in the Build Back Better Act, which are designed to help working people across the nation, stay intact.
Programs like universal pre-k, 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave, and the expansion of Medicare to include hearing, dental and vision will only become a reality if we hold firm at the $3.5 trillion number.
Without it, we’ll have means-tested programs that help some of those in need while leaving others out.
With President Biden signaling that the overall cost may need to come down in order to appease corporate sellout Senators Sinema and Manchin, we need you to raise your voice and stand with DFA as we tell President Biden that $3.5 trillion is the floor, not the ceiling.
John, we need the investments made in the Build Back Better Act to be as high as possible, which means we must keep fighting for $3.5 trillion.
If we recompromise down to $1.5 trillion, we’ll leave millions of Americans without the help they desperately need.
With a less robust investment, it may not be possible to lower higher education costs, or prescription drug costs. Any cuts made to the current iteration of the bill means cuts made to education, labor, child care, health care, and the environment.
We cannot afford to leave anything on the table.
Senator Bernie Sanders wanted 6 trillion, and Joe Manchin wanted $1.5 trillion… This means that $3.5 trillion is the compromise.
We can only make the necessary, full improvements in child care, senior health care, paid family and medical leave, universal pre-K, and climate change mitigation if we keep the Reconciliation Bill at $3.5 trillion. Any more cuts mean some people will be unnecessarily left behind.
With every Republican in Congress against us, Democrats must be bold and stand up for working families. Tell President Biden that $3.5 trillion is the floor, not the ceiling.
Thank you for taking action today.
– Tre
Tre Graves
Digital Organizing Coordinator
Democracy for America
