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White House: Report that Biden may spend $3 trillion is premature

by Reuters
Monday, 22 March 2021 19:18 GMT

U.S. President Joe Biden shows his daily schedule as he and Vice President Kamala Harris receive an update on the fight against the pandemic during a visit to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., March 19, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

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The New York Times reported Biden advisers were preparing to recommend he spend up to $3 trillion on boosting the economy, reducing emissions and narrowing inequality

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WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) - The White House said on Monday that a New York Times report that President Joe Biden will consider spending $3 trillion for infrastructure and other priorities was premature and did not reflect administration thinking.

The Times reported that Biden advisers were preparing to recommend he spend as much as $3 trillion on boosting the economy, reducing carbon emissions and narrowing economic inequality, beginning with a giant infrastructure plan.

"President Biden and his team are considering a range of potential options for how to invest in working families and reform our tax code so it rewards work, not wealth," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement in response to the article.

"Those conversations are ongoing, so any speculation about future economic proposals is premature and not a reflection of the White House's thinking," the statement added.

Biden has ambitious plans for legislative action including infrastructure and tackling climate change. He used the Democrats' slender majority in the U.S. Senate to push through a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill earlier this month.

Psaki said last week the Biden administration was working closely with members of Congress about how best to fund plans for a large infrastructure package but that those plans had not yet been finalized.

Biden has pledged not to raise taxes on individuals making less than $400,000 a year.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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