“Six hundred billion dollars is not what the country needs – the country needs $ 2 trillion,” Raimondo said during a Playbook Live interview. “It’s not nearly enough.”
The GOP’s proposal, which has not yet been formally introduced, has already received a chilly reception from several leading Senate Democrats, raising the prospect that the effort would have a difficult time generating the bipartisan consensus that the constituency is moving forward.
Still, Raimondo was more receptive than Democrats like Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal – who labeled it “totally anemic” and an “insult” – and said the Republican offer was welcome as a “starting point for further negotiations.”
She also questioned the idea of splitting the Biden administration’s proposal into a leaner package that could, in theory, garner the 60-plus votes needed to clear a senate board and then send the rest of it through. promote budget reconciliation without needing Republican support. The multiple approach has been promoted by, among others, Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), A close ally of the president.
“It is achievable, but not ideal,” said Raimondo. “It’s not what we’re thinking about right now.”
She also said some of the more controversial parts of the president’s proposal, such as hundreds of billions of dollars for the home care sector, were crucial to reducing poverty and promoting equality – two stated pillars of the Biden administration.