United States: in Philadelphia, Biden presents a budget that looks like a campaign program
Speech by US President Joe Biden on the 2024 budget, this Thursday, March 9, 2023 in Philadelphia.
AP - Evan Vucci
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
Joe Biden's draft budget for the 2024 fiscal year. The American president presented it on Thursday March 9 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Beyond the economic aspect, it is above all a political message.
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With our correspondent in Washington,
Guillaume Naudin
Philadelphia is a blue-collar city in a largely industrial state.
Of those who could tip the next election.
In this carefully chosen environment, Joe Biden unfolds the main aspects of his proposal: increased social and health benefits, new, more generous public policies.
Additional expenditure therefore, but also a reduced deficit.
To finance this, additional revenue must be found.
The president plans to get them from the richest, with rising taxes for those earning more than $400,000 a year, and from big business, with the end of aid granted to oil companies and pharmaceutical giants.
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Let's settle this case
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This budget has, as it stands, no chance of passing in a Congress partially controlled by the Republicans.
But the most important thing for the president, who is preparing a candidacy for a second term, is precisely to mark his difference with his opponents.
For weeks, he has been accusing them of wanting to attack the health insurance of modest Americans and this has forced them to deny it.
Joe Biden is now awaiting counter-proposals.
Because it will be necessary to discuss and find solutions, while avoiding a default on the debt which is approaching.
It would be a disaster that could happen next summer if nothing is done.
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Instead of making threats about default, which would be catastrophic, let's get this sorted and have a conversation about how to grow the economy cheaply and reduce the deficit."
I have outlined my budget.
Congressional Republicans should do the same.
Then we can sit down and see where we disagree.
My Republican friends say they want to cut the deficit, we've weighed up what they've come up with so far.
And our estimates soon proved them wrong
,” said President Biden, who announced a $3 trillion deficit reduction plan over ten years.
My plan will reduce the deficit by 3,000 billion in ten years.
Given what we know so far of their plan, it will increase the deficit by over $3 trillion in ten years.
If I'm wrong, show it to me.
They want to lower taxes for the rich and big business.
But if they say they want to bring down the deficit and their plans blow it up, how do they do their accounts?
Where are they going to save money?
Joe Biden's budget speech
Guillaume Naudin
Happening Now: President Biden walks through his 2024 budget for a bottom-up, middle-out economy.
https://t.co/QR0cDMON1n
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 9, 2023
► See also United States: White House charge against Fox News host Tucker Carlson
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UNITED STATES
Joe Biden