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Biden: This will Fundamentally Change the Lives of Millions; Biden: This Deal will "Truly Transform" America; Source: Pelosi Tells House Dems not to "Embarrass" Biden; As President Biden Announces "Framework" for Spending Bill, Sanders Insists on Improvements; President Biden Announces "Framework" for Spending Deal as Dems Struggle to Pass Agenda. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired October 28, 2021 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[12:00:00]

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: He calls himself 100 percent union guy. His job is dangerous. As he said and I "I don't want my kids growing up in a world where the threat of climate change hangs over their heads".

Folks, we all had that obligation an obligation to our children and our grandchildren. The bipartisan infrastructure bill is also the most significant investments since we built the Interstate Highway System, and won the space race decades ago.

This spot is rebuilding the arteries of our economy, across the country now, there are 45,000 bridges, and 173,000 miles of roads that are in poor condition. Some of the bridges don't even take a chance to go in across they're shut down.

It can't be built back to the same standard because the weather is not going to get a lot better; we just got to keep from getting a heck of a lot worse. We have to build back better and stronger. No one should have to hold their breath as they cross a rundown bridge or a dangerous intersection in our hometown.

We're going to put hardworking Americans on the job that bring our infrastructure up to speed, good union jobs and prevailing wages. Jobs, you can raise a family on, my dad was sick have a little breathing room.

Jobs that can't be outsourced; jobs replacing LED water pipes so families can drink clean water, improving the health of our children and putting plumbers and pipefitters to work; jobs laying thousands of miles of transmission lines to build a modern energy grid; jobs making a high speed internet affordable and available everywhere in rural and urban America particularly including a 35 percent of rural America that goes without it right now.

This pandemic is made clear the need for affordable and available high speed internet, the idea of a parent having to put their kids in a car for virtual learning, drive and sit in the McDonald's parking lot. So the child can access the internet, when school is taught virtually is not only unnecessary, it's just wrong. It's wrong. I just said before these plans are fiscally responsible. They're fully paid for. They don't add a single penny to the deficit. They don't raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000 a year. In fact, they reduced the deficit. Here's how?

I don't want to punish anyone's success. I'm a capitalist. I want everyone to be able to if they want to be a millionaire or a billionaire to be able to seek their goal. But all I'm asking is pay your fair share. Pay your fair share, pay your fair share.

And right now, many are paying virtually nothing. Last year, the 55 most profitable corporations in America 55 of them, pay just zero, zero in federal income tax on about $40 billion in profit. If they report big profits to the shareholders, they should be paying taxes. It's that simple.

That's why the build back better framework will have a 15 percent minimum on the largest corporations a minimum tax of 50 percent. The top 1 percent of the wealthiest Americans evade it's estimated by the experts' $160 billion in federal taxes. That's wrong. We're going to change that.

I want to emphasize what I said from the beginning, and are my plans if you earn less than $400,000, you won't pay a single penny more in federal taxes. In fact, these bills continue cutting taxes for middle class, for childcare for health care so much more.

Let me close this for much too long working people, this nation in the middle class of this country, have been dealt out of the American deal. It's time to deal them back in. I ran for president saying it was time to reduce the burden on the middle class to rebuild the backbone of this nation working people in the middle class.

I couldn't have been any clearer from the very moment I announced my candidacy. That's why I wrote these bills in the first place and took them to the people. I campaigned on them. And the American people spoke.

This agenda, the agenda that's in these bills is what 81 million Americans voted for. More people voted than any time in American history. That's what they voted for. Their voices deserve to be heard not denied or worse ignored. Here's what I know. We make these investments or will be no stopping the American people are American.

[12:05:00]

BIDEN: We will own the future. I've long said it's never been a good bet to bet against the American people. I've said that to foreign leaders as well as everyone here in this country, which means it's always a good bet to bet any American people. Just give them half a chance.

And that's what we're doing. That's what these plans do. They're about betting on America, about believing in America about believing in the capacity of the American people. If you look at the history, the journey of this nation, what becomes crystal clear is this. I'll say it again, given half a chance the American people have never ever, ever, ever let the country down. So let's get this done. God bless you all and may God protect your troops and I'll see you in Italy and in Scotland. Thank you.

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Shouted questions from reporters there as the President of the United States leaves the East Room at the White House. Hello, everybody, and welcome to "Inside Politics". I'm John King in Washington.

A very consequential day here in Washington you're just listening there a 23 plus minutes President Joe Biden pitching his agenda for the East Room. He says he has a framework with Congress and he calls it truly consequential.

The president says Democrats are prepared to make historic investments right now in the nation; he promises will change the lives of millions. He says this is a fundamental game changer for working families.

But the president says he has a framework. But he does not have his a deal, which is why what you just heard from the President of the United States is a bit of a gamble a victory lap before he gets to the finish line.

Joining us now to wrap up what we just heard from the president than a day of remarkable developments up on Capitol Hill CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Manu Raju, Dana Bash and David Chalian.

Dana Bash I want to start with you because the president is speaking in the East Room, the flags behind him all the trappings of the presidency, essentially saying this is a fait accompli, Democrats have agreed to fundamentally rewrite the social safety net plus, we're going to pass the big roads, bridges and infrastructure plan.

However, that's not done. That is not guaranteed. And even as the president spoke, there were some indications members of his own party are saying not so fast.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And this is obviously tactical at this point, by the president and clearly in, in consultation with the House Democratic leadership meeting, the Speaker of the House, to make this Aveda complete to, for people to see the train leaving the station and say I better get on that train.

But that is not how party politics tends to work in 2021, especially in the Democratic Party. And we've seen this over and over again, especially when the issues that a lot of people have been pushing for, for decades are at stake right now.

And Bernie Sanders, who is kind of "The Godfather" at this point of those issues, told our colleague - and some other reporters, that he thinks that before the House votes before the House votes, they need to make sure there is very explicit legislative language.

That's first of all, and second of all, to continue to do their best to make the language stronger. So in plain English, he's giving cover and even giving encouragement to progressives in the House who believe in the work that Sanders has done on these issues for so long to say, no, we're not going to do what the speaker wants. We're going to hold off for now. And that's big.

KING: It is big Manu Raju because the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi is in with the House Progressives right now. She told him in a meeting earlier today do not embarrass the president. She wants to bring to the floor this afternoon the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which is piece, one of this two part agenda.

But if you listen to what Dana just reported Bernie Sanders saying moments ago, in his view, there should not be a vote until all 50 members in the Senate are on board. And since the president visit Capitol Hill this morning, Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona says progress. But she's not completely there yet.

And are our Ted Barrett tried to ask Joe Manchin, the other Senator, is this done? And he says it is all on the House now. We continue to talk in good faith. There is no deal. But the president's rolling the dice here.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And look behind closed doors I'm told that the president said that he is within inches of getting Manchin and Sinema's support. He didn't use their name explicitly, but his message was clear to the Democratic Caucus in the House.

He said that we're going to get there. And Nancy Pelosi told her colleagues, she did say that I'm told from the source. Don't embarrass the president. Those were her words; don't embarrass the president as he flying overseas, because she wants that - that infrastructure bill to pass today.

In fact, she told her colleagues that she would keep that vote open, potentially could go for hours and try to cajole her members to eventually get behind this bill. The problem is that there are several dozen who do have that same position that Dana just talked about from Bernie Sanders.

Why get behind this infrastructure bill? If there is not an agreement from Manchin and Sinema on that larger bill and some of the progressives want to go even farther.

[12:10:00]

RAJU: They just want an agreement for Manchin and Sinema they want actual that bill the larger bill that Joe Biden just outlined that passed the House around this they pretty much the exact same time as the infrastructure bill.

And that is going to take months to accomplish here so a major game of chicken and a key time for the Biden agenda unclear how that plays out yet.

KING: You're, right. And you mentioned the key time, but we use these terms sometimes too often. I'm not criticizing you here. But we say game of chicken, people at home think it is to support to some degree. David Chalian, the President of the United States went up to Congress today, in a closed door meeting with House Democrats said my presidency, your majority rests on us getting this done.

He left the Capitol went to that White House and made that announcement throughout this process Senator Bernie Sanders, a campaign rival from 2020, but a longtime colleague in the Senate has been a friend and ally, Senator Sanders has made a ton of compromises along the way here as they negotiated this plan.

But what the White House wanted most of all, is for Sanders to go to the progressives in the House today and say, eat your pace. The president needs you to vote on this infrastructure bill, then might take a couple weeks, but then we will work out the other details. Listen to Bernie Sanders moments ago, I want your view on the significance of this when Bernie Sanders says maybe not.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): Members of the House, in my view, are going to have to opt - insurance. What we have said is all of you know, from day one that both of these bills have, I support the infrastructure bill. But I want to see a strong build back bill as well and then linked together.

So you don't want to say it's the infrastructure bill passed, and then not have the kind of build back better bill that we need. And that's what you need 50 members on board before there should be a vote in my view in the House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: David Chalian, the president wanted his friend Bernie Sanders to say back the president Bernie Sanders is saying be skeptical, not until Manchin and Sinema sign.

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, I mean, those critical words there at the end of what Sanders just said, you know, before there should not be a vote before there is a bill to see, that is a message to house progressives, to defy, to defy the speaker to defy what the president and his team would like to see happen today, in the immediate term, getting that infrastructure bill passed.

And that's a significant move, given that this is the second time the president's gone up to the Hill to get House Democrats behind him. So if yet again, like the first time he emerges, and they're not there yet, it sort of raises a question about what is the president's juice inside of this party?

But also, John, you mentioned how the president made sort of the political case inside the room to the House Democrats? He then went and made the case to the country, that this is a moment where as a country, we need to decide if we're going to have a world pass us by competitively and how important he sees this investments? And yet, Bernie Sanders is acting like negotiations are still open, he wants to, not only does he want to see legislative text, as Manu was saying, he actually wants to, in his mind, from his point of view, improve the build back better bill and yet, Joe Biden in the East Room, as you noted, like a victory lap is basically saying this thing is done.

Now, let's just get it passed. Those are two very different approaches in this critical moment, which shows that the party is not yet unified.

KING: And to that point, Kaitlan Collins, you're in Rome, the president is about to get on Air Force One and head your way. He wanted a big victory to celebrate on the world stage to show America is back, America is leading economically, America is about to make a giant investment in the climate crisis.

So he takes what sounds like a victory lap. However, this deal is not done. That's a huge gamble. It is a huge gamble in the sense that number one, this could collapse. Number two, this is the president who campaigned on competence, I get government, I'm going to make things work, and I'm going to get things done. But right now the Democratic family is a bit chaotic.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and what the president said there at the end was talking about the 81 million people that voted for him that he said, voted for his agenda. But we know some of those key campaign promises from the president have not survived this final framework.

And one of the big ones, of course, is paid leave something that we have been talking about, for several days, two years of free community college. And so though, clearly, the White House felt that there could be some movement today. That's why they have delayed the president's departure he chooses to leave at 8 am Eastern this morning. Now he is just now headed to Air Force One to make the trip over here to Rome.

They had patent in a few extra hours in case something like this happened. But I think the hope was that he would be successful that an appeal a direct appeal from the president would convince these progressives to get on board.

And clearly what we are hearing from progressives is saying that that's not the case that they'd like to see the text here. And what White House officials were pretty blunt about earlier was here's the framework but yes, we do not have the text yet. And so they're deferring to House Speaker Pelosi when it comes to the timeline of these votes, of course of that infrastructure vote that Manu was talking about there.

But when it comes to the president's trip here, what Pelosi said to her caucus earlier was that the president needed a vote of confidence from the Congress to seal his trip here to send him off on a good note to come and meet with the world leaders as he is trying to make the argument not just about climate and leading the way they are having the U.S. make those commitments so they can get other nations to Similarly make those commitments.

[12:15:00]

COLLINS: But also, this message to the president has carried with him on the world stage, which is that America is back democracy works and his government can function. And what people are seeing now with Democrats, so divided over how this agenda should precede, of course, is not the message that the White House was hoping to send the president on Air Force One with.

KING: Just a fascinating moment a giant gamble for the president as Kaitlan Collins was speaking, we can show you again, live pictures of Air Force One. The president is hoping that members of his party who are reluctant to vote yesterday on the infrastructure plan, and then finish work on the rest.

He's hoping they look at that plan and think we cannot embarrass our president. He heads out on the world stage. But that remains a giant question, the president's about to head to Rome more on this big framework announcement, as he says, for the $1.75 trillion spending plan in just a moment. Is it enough? Can you get the votes? Our coverage continues in just a moment.

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[12:20:00]

KING: It is just a remarkable day in the Biden Presidency and a remarkable day of politics here in Washington. President Biden at the White House moments ago, saying he has a framework with members of the Democratic Party on a giant social safety net package. But here's the problem.

A framework does not mean a signed agreement. And many progressives are saying no, Mr. President, we are not prepared to vote first on an infrastructure plan, while we complete the negotiations on the other issues because of that progressive opposition, the White House going to the likes of having the Former President Barack Obama issue a statement just moments ago, urging Democrats please get behind the president.

At that White House event the president says times up, we've been talking for months, it is critical to make a fundamental rewrite of the social safety net. And the president says this shouldn't be about politics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: These are not about left versus right or moderate versus progressive, or anything else that pits Americans against one another. This is about competitiveness versus complacency. Competitiveness versus complacency is about expanding opportunity, not opportunity to deny. It's about leading the world or letting the world passes by.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KING: With me in studio to share their reporting and their insights Margaret Taylor of "AXIOS", Brittany Shepherd of "The Yahoo News" and "POLITICO'S" Heather Caygle. I say remarkable. I'm not sure what else to call it. It's a high stakes day.

The president says he tells the party we're done. We've been talking for months. I need this. I'm getting on a plane to fly overseas. More new polling out today shows my approval rating is slumping. It's time we're all Democrats. Sorry do it.

To the point where they get Barack Obama because they hear immediately progressives are saying not so fast. Sir Barack Obama issued a statement that says among other things, to build back better framework doesn't contain everything that the president proposed, and that some had hoped.

But that's the nature of progress in democracy. The good news is it represents the best chance we've had in years to build on the progress we made during my administration, and address some of the most urgent challenges of our time. The question is, if Bernie Sanders is saying, wait, slow down, if progressives in the House are saying, wait, slow down, is Barack Obama enough to get them to say, never mind?

MARGARET TALEV, MANAGING EDITOR, AXIOS: I mean it's a great question. You heard Biden, we know said today to the Democratic Caucus, my presidency will be determined in the next week on the basis of their actions. And so for weeks, we were watching the president not get down and dirty with individual members with House members.

He was focused on the Senate. We all wrote about this and talked about it. What does it mean? He's a Senator, he wants the legislative process to play out, and he wants the leadership to take care of it. In the end, he says this is crunch time right now, you have to do this, or people have no reason to vote for us next year.

And by the way, there's two other things coming up first, the G20 and the climate summit that he's leaving for right now. And then that pesky little Governor's race in Virginia, where this group that he messaged to, in the speech, remember, he said, this is for the sandwich generation, what's in - what's left?

It started out, like $4 trillion now, its 1.75, what's left? Universal Pre-K, and stuff for seniors and some climate stuff. And he said he was messaging to the sandwich generation. That's Gen X. That's people in their middle age and that's swing voters.

KING: Right. But what's in is significant. It's very significant. The president is right, because they started 6 trillion, then rolled back to 3.5 trillion and now they're just shy of 2 trillion. It can seem like oh, they throw a whole lot of things overboard. That's because they decided to do a lot all at once.

It actually is the president is not lying when he says this would be a fundamental rewrite of the American social safety net is the contract of the government, with people here among the things that are in there. Universal Pre-K, child tax credit extension, half a trillion dollars in clean energy tax credits, Obamacare subsidies, Medicare coverage for hearing taxes on high earners, the challenge this though is Heather Caygle for people at home are confused.

The president's asking Democrats to do two things. First vote on a previously passed bipartisan infrastructure plan cleared the Senate overwhelmingly, it's been sitting on the shelf in the House for a couple months now, because progressives say we are not passing that until we have a deal, a deal on that the social safety net.

The president saying we have a framework, but a framework is not a deal. There's no guarantee, as we speak this hour that Sinema and Manchin will be for it, meaning he's asking progressives vote in the infrastructure plan and hope we get to the finish line on the other plan. Progressives are saying no.

HEATHER CAYGLE, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, POLITICO: Yes, absolutely. I mean, the progressives are meeting in the House right now and Ruben Gallego came out and he very bluntly said we don't trust Manchin and Sinema and until they sign off on this framework, and give a much more - a much bigger assurance that this is the deal and we are not changing it. Our votes are not changing.

And right now Manchin and Sinema, frankly, are not doing that. Senator Manchin came out and he said we're making great progress. It's in the hands of the House now. Senator Sinema said the same thing they are leaving a little wiggle room there and that says to progressives these things could change and could get worse for us and we don't want to take that chance.

[12:25:00]

KING: Because they don't have specific agreement on the climate provisions. They don't have specific agreement on the pay fors and so the president's right they're 98 or 99 percent there, but they're not finally there. You mentioned Senator Sinema; I just want to read again, to quote her directly. After months of productive good faith negotiations we have made significant progress. We have made significant progress. I look forward to getting this done. We're not done.

And so to Margaret's point, Brittany, the president had been patient methodical, more of a senatorial negotiation strategy. Let's let everybody talk. We're going to ultimately figure that. Today he said, she said, I'm president dammit. And I need this and I need it now. That's a big gamble.

BRITTANY SHEPHERD, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, YAHOO! NEWS: Oh, and it's definitely. And he said to his significant investment if you take the American rescue plan, if these two things pass, I think its 5 trillion with a capital T that will get passed.

But progressives are saying it's kind of a little bit too late. Where were you three weeks ago? Where are you four weeks ago, and six weeks ago? Manchin and Sinema are unreliable negotiators who went from seven to three to one. And we're going to take everything that we spent for the last couple of months and throw it all away for these two people. They've made so many concessions, and Bernie was saying just a few weeks ago that he's made so many folds that Manchin and Sinema have pretty much done nothing but sit there and go up in Wilmington and hang out with Joe Biden that they're kind of sick, and done with it.

And Bernie, just before we went live said that this isn't even a framework that it's just an outline, and he refuses to get his caucus together if it was not more firm. We're not getting anything.

KING: And so Speaker Pelosi is in that room with the progressives now, just before the meeting their leader Pramila Jayapal of Washington State said let me talk to our caucus, but I don't believe so. Meaning she only needs three or four members.

If three or four progressives say no, the Speaker Pelosi has scheduled a vote this afternoon on a bipartisan infrastructure bill. If she were to pull that the signal it would send is wow!

CAYGLE: Yes. I have people on both sides right now texting me saying it's going to be a long night. They're all digging in Pelosi was in this meeting, I'm told from inside the room that she did not actually speak. She was in listening mode.

So I think she's trying to hear where they are and thinking in her mind, what can I give them to get them to yes? There are a few things that they're still talking about behind the scenes, including possibly something on prescription drugs, which is a big, big deal for progressives. So there are a few goodies that we may, may see get added to this deal. Things could change fast.

KING: Framework announced by the president negotiations continue on Capitol Hill. It's really a consequential day for the Democrats. We'll stay on top of it throughout the day. When we come back, there are some brand new numbers highlights the new COVID vaccine challenge. Younger kids should be eligible for shots within days but many parents are hesitant and not rushing to get to the front of the line.

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