On Social Spending, the Question Isn’t “Can We Afford It?” but “Who Will Pay?”
When conservatives claim that we can’t afford new social programs, what they really mean is that they think individuals and families should figure out how to handle the costs of necessary care on their own.
When Sen. Joe Manchin and other deficit hawks claim we can’t afford social programs, what they’re really saying is that individuals and families should pay out of pocket for essential services. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
On November 19, the House of Representatives passed the $2.2 trillion budget reconciliation bill, which includes a broad package of social spending consisting of universal preschool, expanded Medicare and Medicaid, paid family leave, and more. The bill now moves to the Senate, where it requires support from all fifty Democrats.
The current bill is much smaller than President Joe Biden’s original $3.5 trillion plan, owing largely to the recalcitrance of conservative Democrats who professed concern about the bill’s price tag. Explaining his opposition to the original plan, West Virginia senator Joe Manchin argued that “the amount we spend now must be balanced with what we need and can afford.”
It’s a line often repeated whenever new government social programs are under consideration: it might be a nice idea, but we as a country just can’t afford it.
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