Joe Biden meets with Senate Democrats on $3.5 trillion infrastructure proposal

Following the successful passage of the COVID-19 relief bill, US President Joe Biden looks to pass proposals that would improve the country’s infrastructure and economy. Biden recently met with Democratic Senators to discuss the sweeping proposals.

Biden met with the Senate Democratic caucus Wednesday as he looked to get their support for his sweeping economic and infrastructure proposals. This follows the announcement from the lawmakers that they were able to reach an agreement on a massive budget resolution. The budget would be $3.5 trillion over the next decade, including the $600 billion in new spending in the bipartisan proposal.

Senate leadership said that the budget plan has already been paid for, which may help get moderate Democratic Senators on board who have concerns regarding the government’s spending and rising levels of debt due to the pandemic. The lawmakers also said the proposal would expand coverage for Medicaid for dental, hearing, and vision, aspects that progressive Senator Bernie Sanders has pushed.

Tax reform, health savings, and long-term economic growth are going to offset the massive price tag of the proposal. The budget would also prevent tax hikes on family farms, small businesses, and families that make less than $400,000 a year.

Democratic leaders hope to pass both versions of the resolution through the House and the Senate before the August recess. However, they noted that their work may be cut out for them as the budget plan only provides a broad outline of the spending on future legislation.

Meanwhile, with the rise of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, Biden is also looking to further promote vaccinations among younger Americans. Singer Olivia Rodrigo met with the US leader at the White House as part of the administration’s efforts to further promote getting vaccinated against the coronavirus. Also meeting with infectious diseases expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, Rodrigo also recorded videos to promote vaccinations, making her the latest pop culture figure the Biden administration has tapped to help promote the initiative.

“I’m in awe of the work that President Biden and Dr. Fauci have done and I was happy to lend my support to this important initiative,” said the singer-actress.