Moderate Democrat says he cannot support House spending plan “in its current form”

representing Jared GoldenJared GoldenThe Hill’s 12:30 Report – Brought to you by Facebook – Pelosi’s infrastructure vote chaotic sprint Two Democrats, one Republican vote against parties on debt ceiling House passes debt ceiling suspension as the stalemate with the GOP deepens MORE (D-Maine) on Thursday warned colleagues that the multibillion-dollar social spending plan his party is working on “needs more work” to gain support.

In an opinion piece published by The Portland Press Herald, Golden said that while he was in favor of the $ 1.2 trillion two-party infrastructure passed by the Senate that the House has yet to vote on, it “cannot support” the larger spending program “in its current form.”

The two bills are major elements of President BidenJoe BidenBiden and Xi Jinping will hold a virtual summit by the end of this year.of the economic agenda that the party leadership has set itself the goal of passing through Congress by the end of the month. Democrats can only afford a handful of House defections across the broader spending package given the unified GOP opposition.

The party aims to push through the social spending plan using a procedure called reconciliation that will allow it to bypass a GOP obstruction in the Senate 50-50. But Democrats have struggled to stay united throughout the process, as members continue to disagree on the size and scope of the legislation.

Golden isn’t the first moderate Democrat to worry about some aspect of the spending program. Several Democrats voted against parts of the legislation at the committee level.

Democratic representatives. Kurt schraderWalter (Kurt) Kurt Schrader The Hill 12:30 p.m. Report – Brought to you by Facebook – Pelosi’s infrastructure vote chaotic sprint Two Democrats, one Republican vote against parties on debt ceiling House passes ceiling suspension debt as GOP stalemate deepens MORE (Ore.), Scott petersScott H. PetersLIVE COVER: Biden Tries to Unify House Sanders, Manchin and Sinema Divided in Proxy War in House Overnight Health Care – Presented by Altria – Advances on Vaccines for Children MORE (California) and Kathleen RiceKathleen Maura Rice Lawmakers use leadership PACs as’ slush funds’ to live lavish lifestyles: House report adopts debt ceiling suspension as GOP standoff deepens Democrats’ rush to satisfy disparate members on the PLUS spending program (NY) voted against a proposal to lower drug prices, fearing the move could hurt innovation in the pharmaceutical industry.

In his opinion piece, Golden said that “the reconciliation bill in its current form takes the path of least resistance, taking too many shortcuts and circumventing tough decisions.”

“Take, for example, the expansion of the Medicare program proposal to cover vision, dental and hearing, a policy that has merit. However, to implement this policy, the reconciliation bill relies on budgetary tricks, with dental benefits not taking effect until 2028, ”he wrote.

“The decision to delay these benefits was largely based on a desire to lower the overall price of the bill, but it is spurious, allowing lawmakers to try and pretend they made a historic expansion that may never take effect. while masking the true cost of expansion, at the potential risk to the larger Medicare program, ”he continued.

Golden, a moderate Democrat who has at times voted against his party, also challenged part of the bill regarding an extension of the expanded child tax credit.

“Many of the proposal’s key policies to support workers and families, like the extended Child Tax Credit (CTC) extension,” he wrote, “are implemented for just four years to artificially reduce the overall cost of the bill “.

“I support this policy, but I also believe that low-income families should not become the targets of another tax cliff fabricated by Congress. If Congress thinks this is good policy, we should pay it for the full 10-year budget window, ”he wrote.

He also said he did not believe that “the proposal as presented is not fully paid”.

“The president himself has repeatedly promised that the cost of this effort will be ‘zero’, but the draft plan does not yet pass that test. In the wake of $ 6 trillion in deficit-funded COVID relief and $ 2,000 billion in unfunded tax cuts in 2017, it would be irresponsible and hypocritical of us to do otherwise, ”he said. -he declares.

His comments come as a previously floating $ 3.5 trillion price tag associated with the spending program, which executives say will likely be lowered before it goes to a vote, has been a source of contention among moderates. and progressive.

Biden and other officials have sought to shift the conversation around the proposed price for the reconciliation plan, saying the plan will ultimately cost “zero” in spending over time while highlighting proposed tax hikes on wealthy figures. and the businesses that they believe will help offset the costs. in social spending.

Golden also warned in the opinion piece that if he believes the bipartisan infrastructure bill should be passed immediately by the House and sent to Biden for signature, he will not “trade” his vote for it. agreement in exchange for a “yes” on the reconciliation plan.

“I continue to support sending it to the president’s office as soon as possible, and I will not trade my vote for this bill for a reconciliation proposal.” But as the president said last week, we have the time and the capacity to do the reconciliation bill well, and we should. Only time will tell if we choose this path, ”he added.

House progressives have threatened to block the bipartisan measure if the reconciliation package is not passed first, concerned about the extent to which their colleagues would scale back the latter plan if infrastructure legislation was already a deal.