As the President reportedly told the House Progressives there would be a scale back in the original price tag of the multitrillion spending bill, the legislation on tuition-free community college is expected to be dropped from the final version of the sweeping spending package to fund Biden’s expansion of social safety net and combat climate change, CNN Politics reported.
Biden To Cut Off The Tuition-Free Community College In The Spending Bill (Photo: Reddit)
The Original $3.5 Trillion Spending Bill Is Reduced
This is a significant concession to West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin who was against the original price and proposed for a decrease to $1.5 trillion. President Biden discussed a temporary number ranging between $1.75 to $1.9 trillion tags which are far closer to Manchin’s top-shelf proposition than the progressive’s primary $3.5 trillion number.
It is indicative that the bipartisan infighting that erupted between House Progressives and Senate Democrats is in a subtle pause. Manchin has been able to prevent the progressives from passing the original $3.5 trillion spending package to fund President Biden’s economic and climate agenda. The bill adopts President Barack Obama’s Green New Deal, and it covers free college tuition, expanded medical service, child tax credits expansion, and compensated family leave.
Affected Programs In The Bill
In response to the price reduction, Biden reportedly conferred with the House Democrats that in addition to dropping free community college, the child tax credit will only be expanded for one year — far shorter than what progressives had wanted. To cut the costs of the bill down to a level Manchin would support, the child tax credit will also undergo an inspection, which Manchin had demanded.
The suggested funding for the elderly and disabled was also included in the adjustments from $400 billion to less than $250 billion. Paid leave benefits could be reduced to four weeks instead of the proposed 12 weeks. However, Democrats still intend to expand Medicare to cover hearing, dental, and vision plans, and the bill will include some form of higher education aid, if not free tuition, according to several House progressives, according to The Blaze report.
Before the funding of short-term surface transportation ends, democratic leaders have urged lawmakers to reach an agreement by October 31 in order to pass the infrastructure bill. Despite the fact that the timetables are nearly aligned, Biden pressed progressives in the meeting to guarantee that he had a deal in hand before arriving at the climate summit.
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