A bipartisan group of 10 senators announced Thursday that they have reached a tentative agreement on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, a major update in one of the main storylines coming out of the Biden administration.
The latest infrastructure proposal does not include federal support for home- and community-based services (HCBS), which was a key part of President Joe Biden’s original American Jobs Plan. Instead, the bipartisan package focuses on traditional infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, airports and waterways.
“Our group — comprised of 10 Senators, five from each party — has worked in good faith and reached a bipartisan agreement on a realistic, compromise framework to modernize our nation’s infrastructure and energy technologies,” the group explained in a statement. “This investment would be fully paid for and not include tax increases.”
The group of 10 is made up of U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Mark Warner (D-Va.).
Although the proposal scraps a $400 billion boost to HCBS, it appears to be gaining support from the White House, according to some reports out of Washington, D.C.
The first version of the American Jobs Plan included hundreds of billions of dollars to strengthen the country’s caregiving economy, with funding set aside to lift the low wages of HCBS workers and bring more people into the field.
Due to rising demand from an aging population and workers leaving the profession, the U.S. will need to fill a projected 7.4 million direct care jobs by 2029, with most of those positions in the home-based care space.
Aging services stakeholders have already voiced their disappointment over the potential infrastructure plan.
“This is about millions of older Americans living at home who need help to take their medicines, get a ride to the doctor, pick up groceries or stay bathed and clean,” Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of the nonprofit LeadingAge, said in a statement. “This is about older adults who are homeless, unable to access the services needed to remain at home, stuck on housing waiting lists for years, living in a place they cannot afford, or skipping meals and medicine to pay rent. This is about the millions of family members and friends who struggle to balance the demands of caring for a loved one, and who are increasingly stressed, stretched and in unsustainable situations.”
Even with possible White House support, the proposal will face serious opposition from liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans alike. In recent days, some Democratic leaders have suggested giving up on Republican support and opting for reconciliation again.
Reconciliation requires 50 senators to push through legislation, unlike the traditional lawmaking process, which needs 60 votes.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is among those who have leaned toward reconciliation.
The Massachusetts Democrat has also been a big supporter of HCBS, highlighting the essential role of front-line caregivers on Friday during a virtual roundtable hosted by the Service Employees International Union (SEU).
“It’s so good to be here and have this chance to talk with all of you about the importance of care work,” Warren said at the event. “You know, I’ve been saying this for a long time, care is infrastructure.”
Warren was joined by Dr. C. Nicole Mason, president and CEO of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
Today, most caregiving jobs are carried out by women — and disproportionately women of color. If included in the final infrastructure plan, $400 billion “would go a long way” toward building a fairer, more equitable caregiving economy, Mason argued.
“It would pump much needed and necessary dollars right back directly into communities,” she said.
Unsurprisingly, HCBS leaders have been largely supportive of including home care in any infrastructure package. There’s still a chance that could happen, but it’s looking less and less likely with each passing day.
“This is a very special moment,” Warren said. “Right now, the door [for investing in caregiving] is cracked open — not all the way open, but there’s a crack. Our job at this moment is to push through that door and make it happen.”
Companies featured in this article:
Institute for Women's Policy Research, SEIU, Service Employees International Union
