Today incoming House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, announced the rules package for the 116th Congress will include her ‘pay-as-you-go‘ provision. This requires all new spending to be offset with either budget cuts or tax increases. The policy has long been criticized as a conservative tactic at tying the governments hand. Opponents have also pointed out that this system allows Republicans to alter the tax code, reducing revenue and creating deficits, that Democrats then have to answer for. Progressives say that the rule will make it more difficult to pass a number of progressive items such as Medicare for All and a Green New Deal.
While this rule wouldn’t have a huge effect on legislation at the moment since the GOP still holds control over the Senate and the White House. If Democrats were to regain these places of power in the future real progressive legislation could possibly be doomed by corporate interests in the Democratic party.
The new rules does include language to reinstate a Select committee on Climate Action, a move called for in the Green New Deal legislation that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez proposes. To the dismay of progressives, this committee can hold hearings but will not have subpoena and deposition authority, essentially keeping real power just out of reach.
There were a few items added to the rules package that progressive members fought for like the ‘Gephardt rule’ — eliminates the need for a standalone bill to raise the debt limit, and the mandate on the CBO to include ‘dynamic scoring ‘ of legislation — a pseudo-science used by the Republicans to make tax cuts look like they pay for themselves.
The American people are hungry for bold change that will make their lives better. When the new Democratic majority takes control Thursday they need every tool possible to enable this change to occur. This rules package stands in the way and makes sweeping legislation harder to pass. So far Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ro Khanna have said they will vote against the rules change.
Call your Representative in Congress and tell them to vote NO on this rules package. Let them know you support bold action! Below is a link to find your representatives information.
https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
Now is the time to fight!
Dale Seufert-Navarro
to the LEFT 