Build Back Better facing hurdles and delays

President Joe Biden’s ambitious legislative initiative to rebuild the social safety net, address climate change, and reform the tax structure appears to be facing more delays and reductions in its struggles to secure a majority in the Senate. The bill, considered to be the centerpiece of the administration’s effort to craft a more progressive role for government in the 21st century, has been dogged by bad luck and distracted leadership. The persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine resistance, the demands of the debt ceiling, the pressure to pass infrastructure and defense bills, a burst of inflation, and deep divisions within the Democratic caucus have all deferred action on the bill.

Support for kids

A core part of the bill remains support for children in the form of an increased child tax credit (CTC), funding for universal pre-K, expanded childcare, and paid leave (mainly for working mothers). Fiscal objections from Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), however, have limited the CTC to a one-year extension and put the paid leave provision in peril.

Another main element is restructuring the economy to address climate change. The transition to a reduced carbon future is a particular challenge to West Virginia’s Manchin, who has consistently opposed elements of the bill that threatened coal mining and fracking in his home state and elsewhere.