The president said free community college is out and that a plan for paid leave is shrinking.
President Joe Biden said Thursday that major planks of his administration’s agenda — including a proposal for tuition-free community college, a hike in corporate tax rates, and free dental coverage for senior citizens — lack the support of all 50 Democratic senators and can’t pass Congress.
Appearing at a CNN town hall in Baltimore, Biden also said a proposal for paid family and medical leave is shrinking from 12 weeks to four weeks. But he also suggested that adding vision and hearing coverage for seniors was still under consideration and that he opposed adding a work requirement to a key anti-poverty tool.
“Look, in the United States Senate, when you have 50 Democrats, every one is president,” Biden said.
But Biden was optimistic about reaching a deal, perhaps before he leaves for a global climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, next week.