Center for American Progress Action

What does the Preamble to the Constitution have to do with Build Back Better?
In the News

What does the Preamble to the Constitution have to do with Build Back Better?

Lawrence J. Korb and Emmett Coyne write about U.S. leaders' promotion of the general welfare.

As Congress debates whether and how much of President Biden’s proposed $1.9 trillion Build Back Better (BBB) legislation to approve, it is important to keep at least two factors in mind:

First, the proposed BBB is consistent with the Preamble to our Constitution. There are four tenets in the Preamble: establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense and promote the general welfare. These four tenets are the responsibility of the government, not individuals.

The above excerpt was originally published in The Hill. Click here to view the full article.

The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. A full list of supporters is available here. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.

Authors

Lawrence J. Korb

Senior Fellow

Emmett Coyne