President Joe Biden said Friday that his social safety net budget reconciliation package won’t hit the $3.5 trillion price tag outlined by Democratic leaders over the summer.
His comments, delivered during remarks at a Connecticut child care center, mark the first time the president appeared to concede fully that he would need to reduce the scope of the bill in order to secure votes from centrist Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.
“When I hear people say it costs $3.5 trillion, I’ll be honest with you, we’re probably not going to get $3.5 trillion this year,” the president said. “We’re gonna get something less than that, but I’m going to negotiate. I’m going to get it done.”
Biden reiterated the reduced price tag near the tail end of his speech.
“I’m convinced we’re going to get it done. We’re not going to get $3.5 trillion,” he said in closing. “We’ll get less than that, but we’re going to get it, and we’re going to come back and get the rest.”
The White House started signaling in recent days that Democrats will be forced to cut parts of the reconciliation proposal to meet Manchin’s and Sinema’s demands.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told Pod Save America on Thursday that the negotiations are in a “messy, messy phase” and that both centrists are shaking their “peacock feathers” while “arguing for what they think is most important.”
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“It’s not going to be everything that Joe Biden wants. It’s not going to be everything Joe Manchin wants or Kyrsten Sinema wants — or Pramila Jayapal or any member of Congress,” she continued. “It’s ultimately a compromise, and you try to get to the best package possible.”
