Editorial of the “World”. Undoubtedly, in order to “fix” Washington, it was better to have a former senator experienced in the mysteries of politics who became the late president than a populist scoundrel. Still, Joe Biden succeeded where his predecessor, Donald Trump, had failed: to vote in the Senate, Tuesday, August 10, a vast infrastructure plan with the support of the Republicans. Savoring his pleasure, the Democratic president joked about those who had announced in advance the failure of the negotiations. Mr. Biden held on and ended up getting a consensus text.
Everyone wins in this affair: the president, whose objective is to reconcile the Americans among themselves and who has succeeded in at least partially appeasing the political climate; the Republicans, who were able to free themselves that day from Donald Trump; the Senate, as an institution, which shows that it is not paralyzed by definition. This is good news for American democracy.
The plan is less ambitious than that presented in the spring by the president: amounting to 1,000 billion dollars (852 billion euros), it mobilizes old credits and provides for 550 billion dollars in additional spending. It focuses on physical infrastructure and does not plan any tax hikes in return, as Mr Biden has had to forgo including the corporate tax increase in the bill. It was the price of Republican support. It plans to repair roads, bridges, railways, electrical networks. It must help populations access high-speed Internet, protect the poorest from climate risks.
Fight against poverty
The president compared this plan to the construction of the transcontinental railroad or that of the highways in the years 1950. It is in any case welcome, so much the United States suffers from the weaknesses of its infrastructures. It will still be necessary to ensure that the funds arrive at their destination, which is not always easy, as shown by the immense delay in helping Americans no longer able to pay their rent and threatened with expulsion.
Tactically, this plan is good for Mr Biden, who was elected in 2020 thanks to moderate suburban voters and calls on his politicians to find the art of harmony. The midterm elections are already in the sights.
Hardly the plan voted by the Senate, the Democrats got down to a new project, that of the budget, which provides for $ 3.5 trillion in so-called “human” infrastructure spending. The project, which aims in particular to finance families, their health insurance and nursery school, is part of a desire to fight against poverty. It is unprecedented since President Lyndon Johnson’s program in the 1960s.
Except that, there, Washington returned to its old ways: the Democrats put the project on the agenda alone, by 50 votes against 49 for the Republicans, as they had done to pass alone the first plan of relaunch of Joe Biden, early March. Republicans, admittedly, are fiercely opposed to it, but Mr. Biden believes the plans are popular.
Imperceptibly, deftly leaning on the Republicans or on his own party, Mr. Biden is mobilizing sums not seen in decades to change the United States and fight against its systemic inequalities. It must now succeed in their implementation. But, already, the American president has rehabilitated the idea according to which a large democratic state can invest massively for its population.
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