US: Joe Biden admits to shrinking economic plan below $3.5 trillion level

US President Joe Biden would rather shorten the length of some programmes in his $3.5 trillion social welfare and climate change package than cancel them totally, as Democrats try to garner support from moderates by reducing the size of the package. Before boarding Air Force One to return to Washington from a trip to Connecticut, Biden told reporters that he thinks it's necessary to establish the principle on a wide variety of subjects without guaranteeing to get the whole 10 years.  

“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 stated during remarks at a Connecticut child care centre.

Biden doubts that they will receive the full financing for community colleges

Biden doubts that they will receive the full financing for community colleges but he is not going to give up on community institutions while he is the president. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders penned an opinion piece for a West Virginia newspaper in which he singled out Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of that state for stalling the domestic package. Sanders identified Manchin as one of only two Democratic senators who remain in opposition to the bill, preventing the party from obtaining the necessary unanimous support in the 50-50 Senate to pass the bill.

Sanders wrote in an op-ed for the Charleston Gazette-Mail on Sunday stating, "this is a pivotal moment in modern American history. We now have a historic opportunity to support the working families of West Virginia, Vermont and the entire country and create a policy which works for all, not just a few." Manchin, on the other hand, criticised Sanders statement by saying that this is not the first time an out-of-stater has tried to tell West Virginians what is best for them.

Biden has admitted that the cost of his plan will have to be reduced

Manchin has recommended capping the bill's overall 10-year cost at $1.5 trillion and has stated that some healthcare programmes should exclusively benefit low-income people. Biden has admitted that the cost of his plan will have to be reduced.

(Inputs from AP News)

Image: AP