Biden open to shorter programs

Prez makes pitch to keep agenda intact

President Biden on Friday said he would prefer to slash the length of the new and expanded programs in his $3.5 trillion social safety net and climate change legislation, rather than eliminate programs entirely, as Democrats struggle to trim the legislation to win over support from moderates.

His comments in Connecticut, where he worked to reassure progressives on what he hopes will be a landmark piece of his legacy, marked Biden’s clearest comments yet on how he hopes negotiations over the bill will play out. It marked a subtle break with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who earlier this week suggested that most Democrats preferred to focus on establishing a few enduring programs.

“I’m of the view that it’s important to establish the principle on a whole range of issues without guaranteeing to get the whole 10 years,” Biden told reporters before boarding Air Force One to return to Washington. “It matters to establish it.”

“So what happens is, you pass the principle and you build on it,” he added. “You look back and either it works or it doesn’t work.”

Pelosi, in a Monday note to Democratic lawmakers, said, “Overwhelmingly, the guidance I am receiving from Members is to do fewer things well.”

Biden earlier had told lawmakers that although he expects the package to shrink, “we’re going to come back and get the rest” after it’s passed.

“We’re not going to get $3.5 trillion. We’ll get less than that, but we’re gonna get it. And we’re going to come back and get the rest,” Biden said during remarks at a child care center in Connecticut.

Democrats on Capitol Hill are working to reduce the sweeping package to about $2 trillion in spending, which would be paid for with higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy. The proposal includes everything from free child care and community college to dental, vision and hearing aid benefits for seniors and a number of significant provisions meant to combat climate change. They’re all key items for progressives, but moderates have balked at the original $3.5 trillion price tag.

With slim margins in the House and the Senate, Democrats have no votes to spare on the bill. The whittling process has sparked concern from some progressives.

With slim margins in the House and the Senate, Democrats have no votes to spare on the bill.