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WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden admitted frustrations on Saturday as Democrats scramble to save a scaled-down version of his $ 3.5 trillion government overhaul plan and collect a related public works invoice after frantic negotiations failed to strike a deal.
“Everyone is frustrated. It’s part of government, ”Biden told reporters before leaving the White House for a weekend at his home in Wilmington, Delaware. He pledged to “work like hell” to pass the two pillars of his national program, but refrained from setting a new deadline.
On Friday, the president traveled to Capitol Hill for a private meeting with House Democrats, which partly boosted the morale of the disjointed caucus of lawmakers. According to lawmakers in the room, he discussed a price tag of $ 1.9 trillion to over $ 2 trillion for the biggest package that would expand the country’s social safety net.
The White House and its allies in Congress are ready for extended negotiations. Biden said he would travel across the country soon to promote the legislation and he acknowledged that discussions in Washington had become too focused on the billions of new spending and taxes in the bill.
He pledged to do more to educate the public about the plan’s new and expanded agendas, which he says have the support of the vast majority of the electorate.
“I will try to sell what I think the American people will buy,” Biden said on Saturday, adding, “I think when the American people are aware of what’s in it, we will.”
The president said he believed the legislation would be enacted with “plenty of time to change the tax code for people next year.”
It’s a pivotal time for Biden and the party. His approval ratings have plummeted and Democrats are restless, eager to keep his election promise to rebuild the country. His ideas go beyond road infrastructure and bridges to provide dental, vision and hearing care for the elderly, a free preschool, major efforts to fight climate change, and other investments that would affect countless American lives. .
Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia dashed hopes of a quick compromise on a framework when he refused to budge Thursday night on his demands for a smaller overall package, around $ 1.5 trillion.
Without a broader deal, prospects for a vote on the public works bill have stalled, with progressives refusing to commit until senators reach an agreement. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Told her colleagues that “more time is needed” to shape the larger package.
The House passed a 30-day measure to keep transportation programs going during the standoff, essentially setting a new deadline for talks, October 31. The Senate was to follow with a vote on Saturday, to end the holidays of more than 3,500 federal transport workers, a byproduct of the political stalemate.
With Republicans firmly opposed to Biden’s overall vision, the President and Democrats on their own are seeking a giant legislative achievement – all to be paid for by rewriting of federal balance sheets with corporate tax increases and the wealthy, those earning over $ 400,000 a year.
The biggest of Biden’s proposals is a collection of Democratic priorities being worked out with a final the price he says is zero, because tax revenues would cover expenses.
(Copyright (c) 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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