Summary
Democrats on Wednesday passed a blueprint for a $3.5 trillion bill to expand family, health and environmental programs. It is a massive investment, to be spent on American families and to combat the climate crisis. But it faces a rocky political road. Democrats are pushing a particular budget process to make it happen.
Five Facts
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Who
is advocating for this bill?
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What
is the bill for?
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When
does Sen. Chuck Schumer need an outline of the bill?
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Why
are some lawmakers concerned about this bill?
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How much
is the national debt as of the publication of this video?
How much more
would the new bill add to the debt?
Focus Questions
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William Brangham says, “My definition in the dictionary is reconciliation conjures people trying to get over their acrimony and work out their differences, maybe not so on Capitol Hill, right?” What does the word
acrimony
mean? What does the term
reconciliation
mean on Capitol Hill?
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If the U.S. was forced to prioritize its new spending based on limited budget, what do you think should be the highest priority?
Media literacy:
Does the Q&A format of this video help you understand the political situation and complicated terms used on Capitol Hill? What other formats would help break down these concepts for easy comprehension?
For More
-
Check out
this video
breaking down the infrastructure bill, mentioned in the video above.
