Much has justifiably been made of the embrace by the Biden administration of the levers at its disposal to bring about a latter day version of FDR’s New Deal. President Biden in his first 100 days launched unprecedented, large-scale efforts to rebuild national infrastructure and to implement programs to support those most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. This comes as a dramatic contrast with his predecessor whose efforts were much more in line with Republican administrations dating back to President Reagan, aiming to reduce the size of government and to limit the scope of the public sector as much as possible.
In the wake of a global pandemic that froze the world in its tracks for more than a year and resulted in nearly 600,000 American lives lost, the return to an engaged, muscular public sector is a welcome shift indeed. From the point of view of the decision-making that is needed to create health, we think that greater engagement of the public sector is not only welcome but essential, both to mitigate the current pandemic and to help us prevent a future one.
In March 2021, President Biden introduced his “Build Back Better” proposal, a $2.3 trillion once-in-a-generation investment, the largest government intervention since the 1960’s. To be spread over eight years, this proposal overtly tackles “infrastructure”—roads, bridges, utilities—and was not framed as an effort to address the nation’s health. But to our minds, this bill addresses many of the drivers of health that shape the world where Covid-19 emerged. By attending to child care ($25 billion), affordable housing ($213 billion), home care for seniors ($400 billion), public transportation, and even the removal of all lead water pipes in the country, the legislation takes on the conditions and structures that create poor health. All these efforts can improve the situations of millions and address the vulnerabilities that Covid-19 exposed.
Read the full piece on The Turning Point.