{"id":27068,"date":"2026-04-26T14:33:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T14:33:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/didebta.com\/?p=27068"},"modified":"2026-04-26T14:33:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T14:33:37","slug":"whats-in-bidens-build-back-better-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/didebta.com\/?p=27068","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s in Biden\u2019s Build Back Better Plan?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Bills, bills, bills\u2014if you feel like there have been about a hundred different bills coming out of Capitol Hill these days, you\u2019re not alone. The truth is, bills happen all the time (in fact, it\u2019s kind of a big part of how the U.S. government operates). But these massive\u00a0spending bills\u00a0have been making headlines and getting even\u00a0more\u00a0<\/em>attention than they normally do.\n <\/p>\n

And here\u2019s one more you can add to the list: Biden\u2019s Build Back Better spending bill. Say that three times fast. (Actually, don\u2019t\u2014because you might end up as tongue-tied as these politicians.) Sometimes it\u2019s called the Build Back Better plan. Sometimes it\u2019s called Biden\u2019s spending plan. But whatever you want to call it\u2014it\u2019s not cheap. Here\u2019s everything you need to know about the spending bill.\n <\/p>\n

What\u2019s the Status of the Build Back Better Plan?<\/h2>\n

Right now, the Build Back Better plan is on pause\u2014to say it nicely. If you ask Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, the bill is \u201cdead.\u201d1 <\/sup>But Biden still thinks some parts of the Build Back Better plan can be passed one at a time.2 <\/sup>So, what are these magical pieces of the bill Biden thinks he can get folks to rally around? Climate change and universal pre-K.\n <\/p>\n

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In March 2022, Biden used his State of the Union address to continue talking up the Build Back Better agendas he hopes to get through\u2014but <\/em>he did it all without even saying the phrase \u201cBuild Back Better.\u201d Instead, he almost rebranded it as his plan for \u201cbuilding a better America.\u201d3<\/sup> But even if this is what Biden is hoping for, it looks like it\u2019s not the priority right now<\/em>\u2014so stay tuned as the 2022 midterm election gets closer. Whatever the next move is for the Build Back Better plan, it\u2019s going to be an uphill hike for sure.\n <\/p>\n

What Happened to the Build Back Better Plan in 2021?<\/h2>\n

Last year, Biden\u2019s spending plan passed in the House of Representatives on November 19 by a vote of 220\u2013213.4<\/sup>\u00a0Democrats were itching to get this bill passed hot on the heels of the infrastructure bill becoming law. Their goal was to get everything wrapped up in the House before Thanksgiving, and they managed to pull it off. But<\/em> the negations fell through in December before it could go to the Senate for a vote. None of the 50 Senate Republicans were on board with the bill\u2014and neither was Democrat Senator Joe Manchin.\n <\/p>\n

Plus, in 2021, all eyes were on the\u00a0debt ceiling\u00a0deadline,\u00a0the inflation rates\u00a0shooting through the roof, and the\u00a0supply chain disaster\u2014so there wasn\u2019t much time for anything else. But with the midterm elections coming up at the end of 2022, there could be more pressure to get some traction on the Build Back Better plan that everyone\u2019s forgotten about.\n <\/p>\n

What Is the Build Back Better Plan?<\/h2>\n

This spending bill is a piece of Biden\u2019s larger Build Back Better agenda<\/em>. It was originally linked to the\u00a0infrastructure bill\u00a0(that passed and was signed into law in November 2021). But after so much back and forth, the infrastructure bill and Build Back Better bill were split to be voted on separately.\n <\/p>\n

The spending bill started out at a whopping $3.5 trillion and has since been whittled down to a price tag of \u201conly\u201d $1.75 trillion. How nice. The move to shave things down happened back on October 28, 2021, in hopes that the announcement would encourage progressives to vote for the bipartisan bill.\n <\/p>\n

Now, back to that price tag\u2014no matter how you slice it, $1.75 trillion is a\u00a0lot<\/em>\u00a0of money. But it\u2019s easy for us to brush that number aside because we\u2019re not paying for it, right? . . .\u00a0Right?<\/em>\u00a0Well, we hate to burst your bubble, but if this bill becomes law,\u00a0someone\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0got to pay for it at some point down the road. And the truth is, when the government spends money, it affects all of\u00a0our<\/em>\u00a0wallets.\n <\/p>\n

But before we get into that, let\u2019s look at what\u2019s going on with the Build Back Better bill and where lawmakers stand right now.\n <\/p>\n

What\u2019s in Biden\u2019s Trillion-Dollar Spending Plan?<\/h2>\n

Okay, let\u2019s get a closer look at Biden\u2019s spending bill. Like we said, it\u2019s part of the president\u2019s larger Build Back Better agenda that includes a lot of the projects he talked about when running for president. But you won\u2019t find bridges and roads here. This bill is more focused on the \u201chuman infrastructure\u201d side of things, like the\u00a0American Families Plan, health care, education and climate change policies. Here\u2019s a breakdown of some of that spending:\n <\/p>\n

\"1.75\n <\/p>\n

Who\u2019s Paying for Biden\u2019s $1.75 Trillion Build Back Better Plan?<\/h2>\n

That all depends on who you ask. The White House says the spending bill would be completely paid for by taxing large corporations and the richest Americans.5<\/sup>\u00a0And just how \u201cwell off\u201d is\u00a0rich\u00a0<\/em>to the Biden administration? The White House claims, \u201cNo one making under $400,000 will pay a penny more in taxes.\u201d6<\/sup>\n <\/p>\n

But\u00a0<\/em>some economists say that 20\u201330% of middle-income Americans could pay more in taxes in 2022 if Biden\u2019s spending plan gets passed.7<\/sup>\u00a0And that\u2019s not even including the tax hikes that could come along down the road to pay for these social programs year after year.\u00a0Gulp.<\/em>\n <\/p>\n

Next Steps: How the Build Back Better Plan Could Become Law<\/h2>\n

Okay, here\u2019s a little backstory first: Some House Democrats threatened to vote against this part of the spending bill unless the $1 trillion infrastructure bill was passed\u00a0first\u2014and that\u2019s exactly what they did.8<\/sup>\u00a0Meanwhile, more liberal Democrats stood firm and said they\u2019d only vote yes if\u00a0both\u00a0bills were a package deal.9<\/sup>\u00a0Spoiler alert: They weren\u2019t. And that meant six Democrats ended up voting against the infrastructure bill.10<\/sup>\n <\/p>\n

Fast-forward to November 2021\u2014the House\u00a0tried to get the Build Back Better plan passed on November 18 but hit a road block when House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy spoke on the floor for a record-breaking 8 hours and 32 minutes to delay voting on the bill.11<\/sup>\u00a0His holdup worked . . . but only until morning when the House ended up passing the bill early on November 19.\n <\/p>\n

The Christmas wish of Democrats in the Senate was to tie a bow on Build Back Better and get it passed before Christmas\u2014but no luck. Since that didn\u2019t happen, expect to see talk of the Build Back Better plan start up again the closer we get to the 2022 midterm elections. Even though the bill has had no movement (for now), the next one up to play hot potato with the bill would be the Senate. They\u2019ll have to vote on the Build Back Better plan before it can ever reach President Biden\u2019s desk to become law.\n <\/p>\n

How Could the Build Back Better Spending Plan Affect Your Wallet?<\/h2>\n

All right, so how would Biden\u2019s spending plan impact your money day to day in the real world? That\u2019s the 1.75 trillion-dollar question. Let\u2019s take a closer look\u2014and find out where\u00a0our<\/em>\u00a0money comes in.\n <\/p>\n