Reconciliation Nation

October 21, 2021

Congress is considering a multi-trillion dollar bill, referred to in the news as the reconciliation bill. It would help Americans out with childcare costs, provide two free years of community college, cut prescription drug prices, and much, much more. Is this an insane price tag or a smart investment?

To better understand what Americans think about the bill, our friends at Voice of the People reviewed a broad swath of public opinion surveys, including some that came out of their own in-depth policymaking simulations.

They looked at 28 proposals in the reconciliation bill and found something that Congress may want to take into account:

  • A majority people surveyed supported all 28 proposals.
  • A majority of Republicans supported 14 of those proposals.

Let’s take a look at just a few of the ideas that have bipartisan support among everyday Americans:

Allow the federal government to negotiate with drug companies to get a lower price on medications, which would apply to both Medicare and private insurance.

  • 89% National
  • 84% Republicans
  • 97% Democrats
  • 87% Independents

Expand Medicare coverage to include dental, vision and hearing.

  • 84% National
  • 79% Republicans
  • 89% Democrats
  • 84% Independents

Provide tax credits for electricity produced with clean energy.

  • 76% National
  • 62% Republicans
  • 89% Democrats
  • 71% Independents

Increase the amount of Pell Grants (awarded to undergraduate students based on financial need) so the maximum amount would increase from around $6,500 to around $8,300 a year.

  • 70% National
  • 53% Republicans
  • 88% Democrats
  • 64% Independents

Encourage employers to offer more extensive apprenticeship programs by offering them a tax credit up to $5,000 for each new apprentice.

  • 83% National
  • 81% Republicans
  • 87% Democrats
  • 74% Independents

There’s a lot more to dig into, including a number of proposals that have decent, if not majority, support from people across the political spectrum. Check out the full report here.

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