WHITE HOUSE BUDGET. AND WHILE
WE WAIT FOR THE PRESIDENT TO
COME OUT, MAKE REMARKS ON IT
TODAY. NBC NEWS CAPITOL HILL
CORRESPONDENT LEIGH ANN
CALDWELL IS JOINING US FROM
THE HILL. SO LET'S GO THROUGH
SOME OF THE BIG NUMBERS FROM
PRESIDENT BIDEN'S BUDGET
PROPOSAL 773 BILLION DOLLARS
FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
MORE THAN 80 BILLION DOLLARS
OVER 5 YEARS IN COVID FUNDING
50 BILLION DOLLARS FOR
AFFORDABLE HOUSING. 30 MILLION
DOLLARS IN SUPPORT OF LAW
ENFORCEMENT 18 BILLION DOLLARS
FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE
PROGRAMS. THAT'S A WHOLE LOT
OF MONEY THERE. WHAT HAPPENS
WITH THIS PLAN ONCE IT GETS TO
CONGRESS.
>> YEAH, IT'S A WHOLE LOT OF
MONEY. IT'S ALSO THE BUDGET
FOR NEXT FISCAL YEAR. THIS IS
SOMETHING THAT PRESIDENTS DO
EVERY IT'S INTERESTING THAT
ARE ACTUALLY PAYING ATTENTION
TO IT ONCE AGAIN IN BUT THIS
OUTLINES THE PRESIDENT'S
PRIORITIES OF WHAT THEY WERE.
HE WANTS TO SEE MONEY
ALLOCATED AND THIS IS AT BEST
A GUIDEPOST FOR CONGRESS TO GO
BY AS WE KNOW THAT CONGRESS IS
THE ONE WHO ACTUALLY HAS THE
PURSE STRINGS TO ALLOCATE
MONEY AND AT WORST. THIS IS A
MID TERM DOCUMENT THAT
OUTLINES WHAT THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY STANDS BUT IT HAS A
MAJOR INCREASE IN DEFENSE
SPENDING AND THAT IS SOMETHING
THAT USUALLY IS NOT IS NOT A
PART OF DEMOCRATS BUDGET. BUT
AS WE SEE, WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE
OF A WAR. THERE'S A WAR AND
UKRAINE AND THE BUDGET
REFLECTS THIS IS ALSO A BUDGET
THAT HAS MOVED THE PARTY A
LITTLE BIT TO THE CENTER OF
THINGS THAT AREN'T INCLUDED
ARE MUCH MENTION OF THE
PRESIDENT'S BUILD BACK BETTER
THERE'S ALSO THINGS THAT ARE
INCLUDED THAT CONGRESS ALREADY
TRIED AND FAILED TO DO,
INCLUDING A TAX ON
BILLIONAIRES TO HELP REDUCE
THE DEFICIT AND SO THIS IS AN
ATTEMPT BY THE WHITE HOUSE TO
SET THE DEMOCRATIC AGENDA AND
TO TELL VOTERS WHAT IT THINKS
IT STANDS FOR FOR OVER THE
NEXT FEW MONTHS AS THEY HEAD
INTO MIDTERM ELECTIONS.
ALLISON LEE AND THERE'S A LOT
OF MONEY HERE. BUT THE NUMBER
THAT REALLY MATTERS. HOW MANY
DEMOCRATS SUPPORT THIS BUDGET.
WHAT ARE YOU SO FAR IN CAPITOL
HILL ABOUT HOW THESE NUMBERS
ARE GOING DOWN.
>> YEAH, IT'S REALLY EARLY
PROGRESSIVES ARE NOT GOING TO
LIKE THE DEFENSE THERE'S A
THIS IS A BUDGET THAT WAS ALSO
GEARED TOWARD JOE MANSION AS
OUTLINED A LOT OF THINGS THAT
HE WANTS. REMEMBER, HE KILLED
THE DEMOCRATS BUILD BACK
BETTER AGENDA. AND SO THERE'S
MONEY IN HERE THAT THINGS THAT
HE WANTS IT TO MOVE FORWARD,
INCLUDING THAT BILLIONAIRE
DEFICIT REDUCTION AS WELL.
WAYS TO DEAL WITH INFLATION
AND SO THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO
GET HIM BACK ON BOARD WITH THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY'S PLANS
MOVING BUT IT IT'S UP TO
CONGRESS TO DECIDE HOW THEY
WANT TO SPEND MONEY AND SO
THEY IT. DEMOCRATS COULD SAY
WHETHER THEY LIKE IT OR NOT.
BUT WHAT REALLY MATTERS IS
THERE GOING TO BE COMMITTEES
THAT TAKE APART. EVERY SINGLE
THIS BUDGET AND CREATE THEIR
OWN BUDGET. AND THIS IS A
PROCESS THAT TAKES MANY, MANY
MONTHS. AND AS WE JUST SAW
DALLAS AND SOMETIMES IT TAKES
A REALLY LONG TIME BECAUSE
JUST LAST MONTH THERE EARLIER
THIS MONTH THEY PASSED THE
BUDGET THE FED FUNDING BILLS
FOR THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR.
THAT 6, 5, AND A HALF MONTHS
LEFT SO SO WE'LL SEE WHERE
CONGRESS STANDS US. BUT THE
FINAL FINDING IS GOING TO BE
MUCH DIFFERENT THAN WHAT
PRESIDENT BIDEN LAID OUT.
WELL, AT LEAST THEY GOT IT
DONE BEFORE THE FISCAL YEAR IS
OVER. ALI. I KNOW WE WERE
SHOWING IMAGES OF JOE MANSION
THERE. WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT
HIM SO MUCH AS SOMEONE WHO
CAN.
>> MAKE OR BREAK THE DEMOCRATS
ATTEMPT AT UNITY. IS THERE
ANYONE ELSE IN PARTICULAR THAT
YOU'RE KEEPING AN EYE ON OR
ONLY START TO GET A FEEL AS
THOSE COMMITTEE MEETINGS
HAPPEN. WHO WHO MAY BE NEXT
BIG PROBLEM FOR THE WHITE
HOUSE AND THEIR PLANS FOR THE
YEAR AHEAD.
>> YEAH, I THINK THAT THERE'S
A COUPLE THINGS HERE. SO AS
THEY DO THE APPROPRIATIONS
PROCESS AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO
FUND THE GOVERNMENT. IT GETS
REALLY, REALLY IN THE WEEDS
AND ULTIMATELY IS UP TO
LEADERSHIP AND PEOPLE WHO ARE
ON THAT COMMITTEE. THE
APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE
DECIDE HOW MONEY IS SPENT. BUT
IF DEMOCRATS ARE GOING TO TRY
TO ENACT POLICY OR NEW
LEGISLATION IN SOME SORT OF
NEW VERSION OF BUILD BACK
BETTER THAT IS WHAT THE BIGGER
QUESTION IS AND IF YOU TAKE
THE PRESIDENT'S POP POLICIES
IN BUDGET THAT HE JUST
OUTLINED. IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE
THAT IS GOING TO BE A
PRIORITY. THEY'RE NOT GOING TO
TRY TO PASS A 2 TRILLION
DOLLAR BILL WITH ALL OF THE
DEMOCRATIC PRIORITIES.
INSTEAD. PERHAPS THEY'RE GOING
TO TAKE OUT THINGS LIKE
PRESCRIPTION DRIVE, TRYING TO
CUT PRESCRIPTION TRY TO PASS.
LIKE I TAX ON BILLIONAIRES OR
MAYBE SOME CLIMATE CHANGE
PROVISIONS AS ALL THESE THINGS
ARE GOING TO ONE OFF THAT THEY
TRIED TO PASS. BUT THERE'S NOT
A LOT OF TIME LEFT REALLY
BEFORE THEY REALLY GET
CAMPAIGNING BEFORE THE MID
TERMS. AND THAT REALLY STARTS
TO HAPPEN THIS SUMMER. AND
THAT'S WHEN MOST LEGISLATING
THAT'S FOR SURE. ALI AND
CALDWELL. THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR GIVING US A PREVIEW AS WE
WAIT TO HEAR FROM THE
PRESIDENT HIMSELF WILL WILL