Democrats set to cut free community college, climate program from Biden’s economic plan as they trim price tag
Progress has come slowly as Democratic leaders try to get nearly every progressive and centrist in Congress to agree on the scope of the plan. Amid a rush of talks, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he wants to strike a deal this week.
“There was universal agreement in that room that we have to come to an agreement and we’ve got to get it done, we want to get it done this week,” he told reporters Tuesday after a lunch with Senate Democrats.
Asked Wednesday if Democrats could reach a deal on a framework this week, Pelosi said, “it’s possible.”
Schumer and Pelosi have said they want to pass the social safety net and climate plan — along with a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill approved by the Senate — by the end of October. Democrats appear to have next to no chance of meeting the deadline.
The party aims to approve the infrastructure plan, which would extend surface transportation funding for five years, before money for those programs dries up at the end of the month. Passing the bill will require movement on the broader social safety net legislation, as progressives have opposed approving one plan without the other.
The talks will shape whether millions of Americans will see their government benefits boosted for years. They will also determine how large of a role the world’s largest economy takes in curbing climate change.
Biden and Democrats also want to show tangible progress in improving Americans’ lives ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. The party will try to defend majorities in the House and Senate in an environment that would historically favor Republicans.
The proposal was set to expand paid leave, child care and Medicare, extend the strengthened child tax credit, and establish universal pre-K and two years of free community college. Lawmakers have started to scale back or remove key programs to win over skeptical centrists.
Manchin — who met with both Biden and Senate Budget Committee Chair Bernie Sanders on Tuesday — has called for a $1.5 trillion bill.
“We have been talking for a long time and I think action is — we need to move very, very quickly,” Sanders, a Vermont independent, told reporters after the meeting with Manchin. “So what we are trying to do is move this process along as quickly as we can.”
Sinema also met with Biden on Tuesday. The president huddled separately with House progressives including Jayapal and a group of centrist representatives and senators.
After Biden’s talks with lawmakers, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the president “is more confident this evening about the path forward to delivering for the American people on strong, sustained economic growth that benefits everyone.” She added that Democrats had “broad agreement that there is urgency in moving forward over the next several days and that the window for finalizing a package is closing.”
Biden will head to his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday to sell his economic plans.
— CNBC’s Ylan Mui contributed to this report.
Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/20/democrats-to-cut-free-community-college-from-biden-build-back-better-plan.html