Read on Twitter
Progressives in the House have won a rules change that would allow Medicare for All, a Green New Deal or other big ticket agenda items to be exempted from paygo. This was a necessary step in opening the way for it.
Paygo is short for “pay as you go,” which Democrats proposed in the 80s to get clever with Reagan, whose tax cuts and defense spending drove up the deficit. Since then it has been used to hamstring progressive policy. Last time Pelosi won this fight https://theintercept.com/2019/01/02/nancy-pelosi-pay-go-rule/
The value of changing the rules, even though they don’t yet have the votes for M4A, is that it is easier to defend the rules as they are than fight for changes.
Also it applies to things this term that can actually pass, like more checks, Medicaid and Medicare expansion etc
Also it applies to things this term that can actually pass, like more checks, Medicaid and Medicare expansion etc
Here’s my newsletter from 2 years ago that went into the politics of this fight the last time progressives lost it (which you might as well sign up for since it’s free) https://badnews.substack.com/p/paygo-pelosi-and-the-austerity-brigade
Also it’s too early to call it a victory. It has to get approved on the House floor, but getting it into the package is big
