President Joe Biden stepped up his efforts to push his $3.5 trillion domestic spending proposal through the Senate, lunching with Democrats on Wednesday as he tries to keep all members of his party in step with his agenda.
'It is great to be home,' Biden told reporters as he left Capitol, where he spent 36 years as a Delaware senator. 'It is great to be with my colleagues, and I think we are going to get a lot done.'
Biden kept an upbeat note despite the uphill battle ahead: he needs to keep all his Democratic senators in line, including moderate Senator Joe Manchin, who has expressed concerns about the cost of the $3.5 trillion plan, and liberals, who would like to see even more spending added.
'We're going to get this done,' the president said, pumping his fist in the air. It was his first meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill since he took the oath of office.
'We're going to get this done,' President Joe Biden said of his $3.5 trillion spending package even as not all Democratic senators are on board
Biden's visit came after Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee came to an agreement on a $3.5 trillion proposal that would include spending for Biden's 'human' infrastructure plan - funds for free pre-K and community colleges, expanded paid family and medical leave, and climate change.
The president needs all 50 Democratic senators on board in the evenly split Senate given the united Republican opposition.
But not all Democratic senators came away from the luncheon convinced. Many said they need more time to read the specifics of the proposal and learn how it will be paid for.
Manchin remains non-committal on the spending package, even after the nearly hour luncheon where Democratic Senators Mark Warner and Bernie Sanders outlined the proposal and Biden made his sales pitch.
'I want to see more of the details,' he told reporters after the luncheon, saying he was concerned about inflation and maintaining the energy independence. He emphasized his concern about the US moving away from fossil fuels, saying it would hurt the country's ability to remain competitive on a global stage.
Biden received a warm welcome from the Democratic senators, many of whom had served with him when Biden was in the Senate. Applause was heard behind the closed doors, where the Democrats were lunching, several times.
Senators said Biden made the case that his plan would help American families.
'He just kept on telling us to think about his neighbors in Scranton. Think about whether what we're doing is going to pass muster with the folks that he grew up with,' said Democratic Senator Chris Murphy.
'This president makes an incredibly compelling case that this is the moment to go big. This is a moment you have to be able to deliver real money in the pockets of Americans that are hurting,' he noted.
Murphy, however, also remained non-committal to supporting the measure, saying he needs more information on what it
