'How are you going to pay for it?' — 2020 candidates wrestle with their costly plans
They keep piling up, sometimes trillions of dollars at a time.
The competition among 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls to be bold in confronting vexing social and economic challenges has created a mountain of policy promises. The rising price tag has implications the contenders prefer to sidestep.
Candidates' breezy assurances that everything from four years of college to first-class medical care to cash payments for the middle class can be had for free - unless you are one of those very wealthy Americans targeted to foot the bill - have concerned even liberal economists.
"These big, ambitious proposals are so expensive, it is not possible to pay for them by just taxing the rich," said Howard Gleckman, a senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. "They are going to require taxing middle income people
You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.
Start your free 30 days