| Democrats are starting to push hard for their $3.5 trillion spending bill. And they're taking a populist tone to do it. President Biden spoke today on this. Here's how he framed his case for the legislation: "Each inflection point in this nation's history represents a fundamental choice. I believe that America, at this moment, is facing such a choice," he said. "And the choice is this: Are we going to continue with an economy where the overwhelming share of the benefits go to big corporations and the very wealthy? Or are we going to take this moment right now to set this country on a new path …?" Republicans can play at that game, too. They argue that Democrats are promoting even bigger government, and Republicans are trying to weaponize that. "For Washington liberals, a $3 trillion power grab is their wildest fantasy come true," the Common Sense Leadership Fund, a Republican interest group, says in an ad against the legislation. Other Republicans are gearing up for a fight: A group of conservatives led by former Trump aides will spend $10 million to publicly bash the bill. Biden is aware of these battle lines. "I'm a capitalist," he notably said Thursday, trying to get out ahead of the skirmishes to come.  Biden on Thursday in the White House, defending Democrats' big spending bill. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post) | How big is this bill? It's undeniable that Democrats are aiming for previously unheard-of spending levels. The $3.5 trillion tab dwarfs other recent legislation: For example, a pandemic aid package that Democrats approved among themselves earlier this year was $1.9 trillion. The first pandemic relief package, passed in March 2020 as the nation shut down, was $2.2 trillion. A bipartisan infrastructure bill that's also making its way through Congress is around $1 trillion. Rewind to the Obama administration, when Republicans were outraged at Obamacare costing nearly $1 trillion in 2010. And before that, former president Obama's stimulus bill to counter the 2008 economic crash was just $787 billion. What's in it? The full list would take more than five minutes to run down. The legislation is hundreds of pages long. But lawmakers approved the outline of the bill this summer, and this week the House finished putting together its version. The Post's Tony Romm reports on some of the highlights. Like: - Prekindergarten for all children ages 3 and 4
- 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave
- Romm: "They crafted what lawmakers have described as the most significant set of legislative reforms ever to combat climate change, including a flurry of programs that reward clean energy, penalize polluters and help Americans finance more environmentally friend homes and vehicles."
They'll pay for this by doing what Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D-N.Y.) dress at the Met Gala this week demanded: Tax the rich.  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the Met Gala this week. (Justin Lane / EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock) | One thing to be wary of: Democrats aren't financing this entirely through taxes. They say that this bill will create economic growth that will help pay for itself. "Our investments are paid for," Biden maintained in his speech. We heard that before. Republicans said the same thing of their tax cuts, which ended up contributing to record levels of debt. Those are polar opposite approaches to growing the economy — trickle down vs. filter up. But it's worth pointing out that no matter which side of the aisle they're on, politicians have a habit of promising growth that they hope will materialize. A name you should know in all this: Kyrsten Sinema  Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) is a big player in Democrats' spending bill. (Alex Brandon/AP) | Who she is: A relatively new Democratic senator from Arizona, just elected in 2018. Why she's notable: She's right alongside Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) — both in opposing getting rid of the filibuster and in opposing Democrats' spending bill at the current proposed cost of $3.5 trillion. She could make or break this spending plan, because Democrats need 50 votes for both those things, and they only have 50 senators. (They can dodge a Republican filibuster on this spending bill so long as the provisions relate to spending.) In a sign of her importance to Democrats' agenda, Biden met with Sinema (and Manchin) this week. As you can imagine, Republicans are huge fans of her. The Post's Mike DeBonis has this report on her, and this quote from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.): "I pray for Manchin and Sinema every night, give them a lot of love, wish them well, and hope they can withstand the pressure." | 
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