At the writing of this edition of the Wednesday Wonk, the unfortunate reality is that the war in Ukraine still dominates our news–and rightfully so, given the horrors we’re seeing on our TV screens each evening. Yet, Wonk readers must be thinking–” Hey Kath, what gives? Does Build Back Better have any chance of seeing the light of day in any form this year?” Let me take a stab at the question.

You probably heard or read somewhere last week that the so-called Progressive Caucus asked President Biden to consider signing a series of Executive Orders in order to achieve some of the goals embodied in the “Build Back Better” bill. As an article in Politico put it, “Liberal Democrats in the lower chamber are so frustrated by Senate standoffs that they’re now imploring President Joe Biden to pursue as much of the party’s agenda as he can without them. They want him to sidestep the upper chamber, and the outsize influence its two Democratic centrists wield, to take executive action on everything from immigration reform to lowering gas prices.” Some say that this is an opportunity to get plenty accomplished. Yet the article goes on to point out, “It’s a remarkable pitch for a party that will retain full control of Washington, at least through the end of the year. But many lawmakers on the left — the progressive wing, the Black Caucus, and even some members of leadership — say they have little choice after they’ve passed bills on almost every piece of Biden’s agenda, only to see them languish or outright die in the Senate.” The Washington Examiner, a conservative newspaper observes, “now [Democrats] want Biden to use presidential power alone to implement what has been rejected by the representatives of the wider public. Can there be a more crystalline example of elitism over equality?”

Focusing on the need for the programs envisioned in Build Back Better, a report prepared by the Century Foundation entitled “How States Would Benefit If Congress Truly Invested in Child Care and Pre-K” has some eye-opening observations. The report states, “When parents—especially mothers—lack affordable and stable child care options, there are serious consequences. The lack of affordable and reliable child care pushes mothers out of the labor force and reduces the hours they are able to work when they are in the labor force.” Moreover, an analysis of this report by Politico states, “ Center for Economic and Policy Research…. found that if Congress had enacted the funding for child care that was included in the now-defunct Build Back Better package, it would have created $48 billion in additional economic output from increased parental employment; $60 billion in gains for businesses and state tax revenue from decreased childcare-related disruptions; and at least a $30 billion boost to the economy from the expansion of the child care sector and related industries.”

What does the Wonk think of all this? Well, there is no question that programs contained in the Build Back Better bill were needed by lots of people. Perhaps the bill can be pared down, as the price tag was ginormous! I must be honest with my readers: the Wonk is not a fan of attempting to make Build Back Better into a series of Executive Orders. This is not how our country should be governed. I recognize that with the Senate evenly split, coupled with the arcane filibuster rules, asking President Biden to sign a series of Executive Orders is tempting. The Wonk sees this as a narrow option that should be considered only as a last resort. If I were advising the President, the only matter, the one issue I’d consider handling via Executive Order, is voting rights. Perhaps if the war in Ukraine is resolved, Congress will consider reviving some of the programs envisioned in BBB. We’ll see.

Have a great week!

Happy Reading!!