Progressives on Saturday applauded House Democrats for including in the chamber’s rules package for the incoming Congress two key exemptions from the “pay as you go” rule, also known as Paygo, which could cut down on roadblocks keeping lawmakers from passing far-reaching healthcare and climate action legislation.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) unveiled an updated rules package which would exempt legislation “to prevent, prepare for, or respond to economic or public health consequences” of the Covid-19 pandemic or of the climate crisis, from being subjected to Paygo.
Paygo requires that any increase in spending by the federal government be matched by offsetting tax increases or budget cuts, and progressives including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) have called for the rule to be revoked in recent years while Pelosi and other Democrats have defended it.
Ocasio-Cortez and her legislative goals were derided by critics after taking office in January 2019, as Pelosi adopted the Paygo rule for the 116th Congress. The New York congresswoman voted against the 2019 rules package.
One of the 1st votes I ever cast broke w/ my party over House rules that strangled transformative legislation for working people + climate. It was honestly terrifying.
Now, CPC has pushed these critical rule changes in House negotiations. Grateful for @RepMcGovern’s leadership🙏🏽 https://t.co/4N0NfF5Arz
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 2, 2021
On Saturday, Ocasio-Cortez added the “demotion” of Paygo to the list of achievements by progressives in Congress in recent years.
A little flashback for ya ⚡️ this tweet is from my 1st day in Congress.
Wild day 1 expectations aside, let’s update w/ how things panned out:
✅ House Climate Select Committee created
✅ Co-chaired Biden Climate Task Force that upgraded 🌎 policy
✅ PAYGO is getting demoted— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 2, 2021
One of the 1st votes I ever cast broke w/ my party over House rules that strangled transformative legislation for working people + climate. It was honestly terrifying.
Now, CPC has pushed these critical rule changes in House negotiations. Grateful for @RepMcGovern’s leadership🙏🏽 https://t.co/4N0NfF5Arz
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 2, 2021
So these rule changes are a big deal – & not only on healthcare. They are structural changes in the House that level the playing field for a full SUITE of flagship legislation, locks in that field for the next two years, & establishes precedents for after
This was not easy
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 2, 2021
Breaking the federal government and corporate political press’s “austerity mindset and rules, especially on climate, is a major tenet of the Green New Deal,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
The Intercept journalist Ryan Grim noted that the elimination of Paygo as a consideration for measures involving public health could eventually help Congress to pass Medicare for All as well as other measures to help Americans struggling with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
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. pic.twitter.com/OAqpIhTxp7
— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) January 1, 2021
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
— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) January 1, 2021
Lawmakers “could quite easily cite [the pandemic and the climate crisis] as the need for expanded public healthcare, which is specified in both subsections,” Grim tweeted, adding that the rules change “easily covers a very sweeping set of policies.”
After decades of powerful House Democrats being “fervently committed” to Paygo, tweeted Claire Sandberg, former national organizing director for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), “it’s welcome news that exemptions have now been created for two extremely broad policy areas.”
Other progressives praised the proposed rules change, which must still be voted on in the Democrat-controlled House, on social media.
Paygo’s the biggest scam of the decade designed to legitimize the fear-mongering over artificial deficits. This is a big win by progressives. https://t.co/tzdeZgT7wm
— Ron T. Kim (@rontkim) January 2, 2021
End of Nov, the Progressive Caucus decided on a set of progressive rules reform priorities: Paygo reform and MTR reform ranked high on that list.
So grateful to Chairman @RepMcGovern for helping us secure these reforms and setting the stage for us to push for bolder agenda. https://t.co/nKeUzHI06P
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) January 1, 2021
Advocating for progressive values in Congress is hard if you can’t get over the procedural hurdles that exist. Passing these reformed rules is step one in our fight for progress.
I am optimistic about what we can accomplish in the 117th Congress, if we stay focused & strategic.— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) January 1, 2021
Reforms to the Motion to Recommit & Paygo were the 2 top priorities for @USProgressives in Rules package. These significant changes we negotiated w/House leadership aget rid of procedural obstacles that are used to stop or weaken bold policies from passing. A great start! https://t.co/pYXd1Wx1nT
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) January 2, 2021
It's wild that Democrats support Paygo at all, but this seems like an important step. https://t.co/vc1p30m99i
— Nando (@nandorvila) January 1, 2021
Paygo is literally the dumbest idea in DC. It corrupts the whole system. It is the root dumbness. Paygo is still in the proposed rule, but the exemptions are a great first step.
Into the future where we can do good things! (As long as they are exempted from Paygo) pic.twitter.com/R2jTrfaham
— Alex “Pay Bars and Restaurants to Close” Lawson (@alaw202) January 1, 2021
Amending paygo opens the door to crucial legislation that meets the scale of our greatest challenges.
This is a huge victory for @USProgressives — removing a significant barrier to expanding health care and enacting bold climate policy. Let’s get to work! https://t.co/543BR9CUkE
— Marie Newman (@Marie4Congress) January 2, 2021
“Amending Paygo opens the door to crucial legislation that meets the scale of our greatest challenges,” tweeted Rep.-elect Marie Newman (D-Ill.).
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