In budget turning point, Biden conceding smaller price tag

Washington, Oct. 6 (BUS) – President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress pushed for a 10-year, $3.5 trillion package of social and environmental initiatives to reach a tipping point, with the president repeatedly acknowledging that the measure would be much smaller pivotal lawmakers are showing potential signs of resilience .

In virtual meetings Monday and Tuesday with small groups of Democratic lawmakers, Biden said he reluctantly expects the final version of the legislation to be worth between $1.9 trillion and $2.3 trillion, a Democrat familiar with the sessions said Tuesday. The person said he told them he didn’t think he could do better than that, reflecting the demands of some of the party’s more conservative lawmakers.

Biden used those same numbers during Friday’s meeting in the Capitol with nearly all members of the House of Representatives, according to that person and a second Democrat familiar with the rally. Both Democrats will describe the meetings on condition of anonymity, the Associated Press reports.

There has been no agreement on the final number, and a lot of other unanswered questions – as well as the potential for failure – remain. The crucial unresolved issues include how to get nearly every Democrat in Congress to vote on a measure they spent months fighting for that Republicans would fiercely oppose, and whether the cut price would be reached by dropping some proposals or by keeping most of them but at the same time. . Lower cost or shorter duration.

But by repeatedly acknowledging that the crown jewel of his domestic agenda must be scaled back and provide scope for its cost, Biden is trying to push his party beyond months of deadlock and refocus haggling on deciding what policies and fiscal decisions are needed.

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“I want to make sure we have a package that everyone can agree on,” Biden told reporters Tuesday in Howell, Michigan, where he went to try to build public support for his plan. It wouldn’t be 3.5 trillion dollars. It will be less than that.”

Asked how to cut $1 trillion from his initial plan, Biden said, “My goal is to get everything I’m campaigning for.” “It won’t happen all at once,” he added. This appears to indicate that some of the initiatives in the bill may not start immediately or may only continue temporarily to save money.

Asked if there would be a “mean test,” or restrictions on entry for people eligible for the initiatives, the president said, “certainly.” Some moderates wanted to impose such restrictions on some programmes.

The social and environmental bill is at the core of Biden’s efforts to bolster federal efforts to help families and slow global warming.

will require paid family and sick leave; Extension of tax credits to families with children, those with low incomes and people who buy health insurance; expanding Medicare coverage; Urge energy companies to move toward cleaner fuels and provide free community college and pre-kindergarten. In a nod to his party’s progressive instincts, it will be paid for in large part by raising taxes on the wealthy and corporate America.

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