Quick bit: President Joe Biden met with House Democrat leftists on Wednesday, pushing for a spending bill that would outlay $1.9 trillion.
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Biden’s new ask includes funding to expand universal pre-K, expanding Medicare and Obamacare, subsidizing child care, and more funds for public housing, the New York Times reports.
The president wants to continue the child tax credit passed in his coronavirus rescue bill, but possibly for only one year to lower the final cost of the bill.
Biden would also likely abandon his plan to provide two years free community college and his clean electricity program.
President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the 2021 and 2020 State and National Teachers of the Year awards ceremony at the White House on October 18, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty)
The president would like to get the bill passed before he leaves for the G-20 meeting in Rome and the COP 26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland.
The White House said Biden was “more confident” after holding “constructive” meetings with Democrat leftists and some Senate moderates.
Biden appears to have House progressives on board, a key voting block that has stalled passage on his bipartisan infrastructure bill until they get more social entitlement spending.
“I do feel like we’re getting closer. I think we’re all working really hard to try to get this done,” Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) told Punchbowl News after meeting with Biden on Tuesday.
Biden needs all 50 Senate Democrats to join him to get his bill passed using budget reconciliation. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is still part of the conversation, even as he expressed doubts that a deal can be reached this weekend.
The X-factor remains Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) who has not detailed what her parameters are for the bill in order to get her support.
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