Never mind the cost — just look at the absurd things Build Back Better would buy

By 

Betsy McCaughey

October 5, 2021 

Democrats are quarreling over the price tag of their Build Back Better bill. But the real problem is what’s in it. The bill coerces workers to join unions, imposes racial preferences on every facet of life and redistributes money from workers to takers.

Fortunately, the bill is in limbo. Moderate Democrats like Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va) insist the bill has to be pared down to less than half its current price tag. The far left is outraged. But the bill can’t pass without every Senate Democrat supporting it.

Not passing it would be best: This bill is as un-American as it gets. Here are some of its details, which Democrats would prefer you not see. Judge for yourself.

• First generation down-payment assistance: Most people work and save for years to buy a home. This bill makes them into suckers. It gives $6.8 billion to low-income first-time home buyers with no conditions. It’s part of President Joe Biden’s scheme to increase racial and economic diversity in the suburbs.

First-time home buyers can get up to $20,000 and never have to pay it back, whether they stay in the home or move for virtually any reason. It’s free money — as long as you’re not the taxpayer footing the bill. And it’s likely a double whammy, pushing up home prices for first-time buyers who actually saved up themselves. 

• Home-efficiency rebates: The bill offers up to $14,000 to homeowners who lower energy use by installing new heat pumps, air-conditioning systems, insulation and energy-efficient appliances. It’s a pot of gold for homeowners who qualify and tens of billions of dollars in new business for contractors.

The catch: Only unionized electrical contractors qualify. This bill is designed to twist arms and unionize the workforce. Why? Unions bankroll the Democratic Party.

Racial and ethnic minorities also get preferential treatment. The bill promises contractors a $200 bonus for each customer served from a “community of racial or minority ethnic concentration.” Whites go to the back of the line and have to hope the money holds out.

• Direct-care workforce: The bill awards $1.48 billion to labor unions and community organizations to recruit and train workers to care for the elderly or disabled at home. Top priority is training workers in their rights and organizing them. This is your tax dollars at work creating a new army of likely Democratic voters.

The bill also includes preferential tax treatment for union dues, additional tax credits for buying union-made electric vehicles and a staggering 10-fold increase in civil penalties against employers who resist unionization.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claims Build Back Better is “about the children.” New York Times columnist Paul Krugman echoes her, saying it’s about “securing the future” for children. Truth is, the bill screws our children and grandchildren. It adds hundreds of billions of dollars to the federal debt, forcing the next generations to pay interest and principal on what we’ve borrowed instead of taking care of themselvesDemocrats can’t seem to tell the truth about their legislation. To break the stalemate in Congress, they’re toying with leaving the programs intact but funding them for a shorter time — only the first five years instead of all 10 in some cases. That’s a hoax, and Manchin isn’t fooled. “Those programs will never end,” he says. He’s right. Entitlements are forever.

Already the bill costs far more than $3.5 trillion because of similar gimmicks. The child-care tax credit — or monthly Biden bucks — are funded for only five years.

Democrats boast about offering “universal pre-K,” but the bill fully funds it for only one year, an obvious ruse.

Same with the promise of “free” community college — it’s only funded through 2024. One exception: Colleges serving minorities are funded through 2030.

Whatever the bill’s actual cost, it’s bad for America. The racial preferences and favoritism toward unions will further divide us. And the vast array of new giveaways is an insult to working people who support their own families. 

Betsy McCaughey is a former lieutenant governor of New York.