Top Democrat agrees $3.5 trillion budget bill is 'Democratic wish list'
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A top House Democrat conceded that his party’s go-it-alone $3.5 trillion budget resolution is essentially a Democratic wish list of social programs and spending.
Kentucky Rep. John Yarmuth, chairman of the House Budget Committee, appeared on CNBC Tuesday morning to discuss the infrastructure proposal.
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Host Joe Kernen teased him about the Democrats' sweeping plan, which includes a civilian climate corps, a pathway to citizenship for millions, and money for preschool. Referencing a previous Democratic description of the bill as “soft infrastructure,” Kernen said that he had a better term to suggest.
“What about metaphysical infrastructure?” Kernen said, or “spiritual” infrastructure.
“I think things like early childhood education and community college and other things like that are not metaphysical. They’re critical,” Yarmuth responded.
“Congressman, it’s not infrastructure. It’s a Democratic wish list for the last 50 years,” Kernen said.
“Well, it happens to be that as well,” Yarmuth responded. “When the Biden administration released it, they didn’t call it infrastructure. There was the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan. And they represented, I think, a visionary approach to what this country needs to make sure a generation or two from now, we have a viable society and economy.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called back the House from August recess early on Monday in order to consider both the bipartisan $1.2 trillion plan and the $3.5 trillion budget blueprint. But a group of about 10 centrist House Democrats is pushing to pass the bipartisan deal before starting work on the budget blueprint.
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Negotiations between House Democratic leadership and the centrist Democrats ran past midnight on Monday, delaying a procedural vote to advance the two pieces of legislation as well as a voting rights bill.
Democrats’ budget resolution may end up having a final price tag lower than $3.5 trillion due to objections from Democratic Sens. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia about the plan’s cost.
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Tags: News, Congress, Infrastructure, Budget, House Democrats, Democrats, Spending
Original Author: Emily Brooks
Original Location: Top Democrat agrees $3.5 trillion budget bill is 'Democratic wish list'
