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In the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday, Senate Democrats pushed forth a $3.5 trillion budget resolution that sets the stage for a sweeping economic package that President Joe Biden has made a key part of his administration's agenda. Democrats have divided their "big, bold" resolution into the following four categories: healthcare, jobs, family life and the fight against climate change. Specifically, Congressional Democrats seek to provide universal pre-K for three and four years olds, establish tuition-free community college for two-year programs, expand Medicare coverage, create more pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and make a "historic" investment into affordable housing.
"The Democratic budget will be the most significant legislation for American families since the era of the New Deal and the Great Society. It is big, bold change. The kind of change America thirsts for," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
Members of the U.S. Senate did not only pass a $3.5 trillion budget resolution this week, but they also passed a bipartisan $1 trillion budget resolution earlier on Tuesday. Members of the Biden administration and Democratic Congress members have publicly supported the larger $3.5 trillion budget resolution. Meanwhile, members of the Republican Party and more right-leaning Democrats have pushed for the passage of the more conservative $1 trillion budget package. Senators Joe Manchin and Mitch McConnell have argued that a $3.5 trillion package is far too large and that the government should cut down on spending.
"What our colleagues are proposing and planning is absolutely jaw-dropping," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday morning.
"People want to pretend this is just business as usual. Just liberals doing liberal things using Senate procedure. Make no mistake. This reckless taxing and spending spree is like nothing we've seen."
Moving forward, both packages will head to the House of Representatives when Congress returns on August 23. Given the differences of opinion on both packages, Congress could be in for a lengthy and nasty battle of ideologies. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly said that she will not support the smaller package because it does not represent the "totality of the vision of Joe Biden and the congressional Democrats."
President Joe Biden expects both packages to eventually hit his desk, but he hopes that Democrats will remain united behind the larger resolution.
"After years and years of 'Infrastructure Week,' we are on the cusp of an infrastructure decade that I truly believe will transform America," he said.
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