Jan 16, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Tim Kaine: Build Back Better is "dead" but core provisions will pass

Yacob Reyes

hoto by Alex Brandon / POOL / AFP — Photo: Alex Brandon-Pool/AFP via Getty Images.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday he believes the core of President Biden's Build Back Better legislation will pass but acknowledged that the $1.75 trillion spending bill is dead as a package.

Why it matters: Kaine said the legislation's key provisions are education, workforce "and things like reduced child care and education expenses," but conceded that other pieces of the bill were "more controversial."

The Virginia Democrat also said that passing a similar spending package would address concerns that the White House is out of touch with the public.

Flashback: Sen. Joe Manchin said in December he would not support the legislation, all but guaranteeing the end of the spending package.

What they're saying: It's "dead. The most recent version of it is not going to happen," Kaine told host Margaret Brennan. "I still believe ... we're going to find the core of the bill and pass it."

"I think we have to go into that Build Back Better bill and do the core provisions that reduce costs for Americans," he added. We "will help people out in every ZIP code in this country."

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Tim Kaine: Build Back Better is "dead" but core provisions will pass

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