Technically, the Build Back Better plan is one of two bills being pushed by the Biden administration. It’s interesting to note that many of those same programs, from Social Security to Obamacare, were eventually enacted and are now used by those across the political spectrum. The conversation about Build Back Better’s price tag has played into the hands of Republicans and other critics who have labeled the plan “socialism,” the same label critics have applied to almost every new social program since the New Deal. The questions my bosses always asked were: Do we need to do all of this at once? What will this accomplish? How are we going to pay for it? Frankly, Build Back Better’s proponents have done a lousy job of answering all those questions.

I spent much of my career in state and local government working on initiatives of various kinds. That is almost never a recipe for legislative success, especially since the possible benefits of the program, not the cost, are the Democrats’ best battleground. But the price tag is all that many Americans, including many of the intended beneficiaries of the programs, know about the proposal.