President on package: What’s good for families can also be good for economy

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. — President Joe Biden pitched his proposed investments in families and education at an Illinois community college on Wednesday, telling residents of the swing district that what’s good for families is also good for the economy.

The president set out for the Chicago suburbs to bolster support for both his bipartisan infrastructure deal and a broader package that he expects will be passed with only Democratic votes. His message is one designed to resonate with suburban parents, college graduates and the working poor — a coalition that was key to Biden’s election win last year.

“There’s a lot of work ahead of us to finish the job, but we’re going to get it done,” Biden said in a 30-minute speech that he self-deprecatingly suggested was boring but important. “We’re going to reimagine what our economy and our future could be.”

Before the speech, Biden toured a metals lab at the McHenry County College. His message was that any investments in manufacturing, roads and bridges should be paired with funding for child care, health care and education.

The president listed details of the bipartisan infrastructure deal, but the agreement constitutes only part of the $4 trillion in spending Biden has proposed in a broader plan to reinvigorate the economy and boost the middle class. Republicans have warned that the tax increases on corporations and the wealthy needed to fund Biden’s ambitions will hurt the economy.

Among Biden’s proposals are two years of free community college, universal prekindergarten and paid family and medical leave. He also seeks to extend the expansion in the child tax credit and the health care premium subsidies from the COVID-19 aid bill.