Free Money! Democrats Want Recurring Payments in $2.3 Trillion Infrastructure Bill

As Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) moves to double down on budget reconciliation after a favorable ruling from Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough to bring forward President Joe Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure spending bill, a group of 21 Senate Democrats wants to include recurring stimulus payments to American households. Recurring stimulus sure seems like a nice way of saying universal income.

“We urge you to include recurring direct payments and automatic unemployment insurance extensions tied to economic conditions in your Build Back Better long-term economic plan. This crisis is far from over, and families deserve certainty that they can put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. Families should not be at the mercy of constantly shifting legislative timelines and ad hoc solutions,” the letter to President Biden led by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oreg.) read.

This is by far the closest to a universal income proposal the nation has ever seen, and with the Senate still divided 50-50, Democrats will be anxious to accomplish as much of their socialist agenda as possible via budget reconciliation before the 2022 midterms — which are almost never kind to the White House incumbent party.