The fight for the future of U.S. domestic policy is underway, both within the Democratic Party and between the Democrats and Republicans. Central to this is the debate over the Build Back Better Act, a $3.5 trillion deal that is still making its way through Congress. It forms part of the broader and fuller $7 trillion program proposed by President Joe Biden, aimed at providing COVID-19 relief, poverty alleviation, and infrastructure development, among other things. A September 27 deadline has been established for the House to pass the remaining infrastructure measure.
Sojourner Truth Radio: September 17, 2021 – Roundtable Discussion
Today on Sojourner Truth, our weekly roundtable. Our guests are Laura Carlsen, Jackie Goldberg, and Dr. Gerald Horne.
The fight for the future of U.S. domestic policy. The Build Back Better Act. Bernie Sanders is not backing down from his push for spending $3.5 trillion. President Biden says the U.S. is at an inflection point and this investment is needed now.
But Senator Manchin is in the way. So is the filibuster. Senator Manchin wants to cut the proposed Build Back Better Act figure in half. But that doesn’t fly with Senator Sanders and other progressives. Democrats need a big win given the midterm elections in 2022. Some are saying that President Biden’s Build Back Better Act is the largest social program proposed since FDR’s New Deal. Is the Build Back Better Act a U.S. version of Democratic Socialism?
As we mark the 10th anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, will conservatives on both sides of the aisle insist that the U.S. continue on the path of unfettered prioritization of the market over the care of people and the environment?
Meanwhile, conservatives are complaining that jobs are not getting filled post-COVID. This, as some workers are refusing work that doesn’t pay a living wage and is destructive to their bodies. Conservatives blame Biden’s COVID relief subsidies that people are not taking jobs they don’t want blame corporate greed.
Lessons learned from the California Governor Recall Election. What do California Democrats prioritize now? What are the implications on the national scene?
On U.S. foreign policy, is the influence of Washington waning? Recently alienating the EU, including France, and the U.S. seems to bypass traditional allies to cut a military deal with Australia and the U.K. against China. Europe, meanwhile, is trying to carve its own path in a post Angela Merkel era.