Will progressives really reject the biggest half a loaf in history?

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock)

By any standard, the $3.5 trillion budget package announced by Democrats on Tuesday is a big (bleeping) deal: Its provisions reportedly include making two years of community college free to all Americans; long-term expansion of the new $300-a-month child tax credit; expansion of Medicare to provide dental, vision and hearing benefits; continuation of pandemic-era subsidies for health insurance purchased through the Affordable Care Act; and a number of hazily defined "climate provisions." If passed, the proposal would enact a remarkable expansion of the welfare state in America — one more sign that "the era of Big Government is over" is over.

It might not be enough for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Joel Mathis, The Week US

Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.