Biden's big spending plans are good. They are also a convoluted mess.

Published Apr 29 2021 at 9:50 AM GMT

Key
Points

In a speech before Congress Wednesday night, President Biden laid out the case for his American Families Plan, a proposal to dramatically beef up the US welfare state by spending $1.8 trillion over a decade.
By American standards, the plan is not bad " the biggest package of welfare legislation since the Great Society programs of the 1960s.
They are not groundbreaking innovations; it would basically bring America about halfway up to the mid-20th century rich country standard.
On the merits, the plan should be a total gimme for anyone claiming the Democratic label.
But the proposal's odd rollout and janky design call into question how serious Biden and the Democrats are about passing it at all.