NYTimes report that Biden may spend US$3 trillion is premature: White House

Biden has ambitious plans for legislative action including infrastructure and tackling climate change. PHOTO: AFP

WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - The White House said on Monday (March 22) that a New York Times report that US President Joe Biden will consider spending US$3 trillion (S$40.02 trillion) for infrastructure and other priorities was premature and did not reflect administration thinking.

The Times reported that Biden advisers were preparing to recommend he spend as much as US$3 trillion on boosting the economy, reducing carbon emissions and narrowing economic inequality, beginning with a giant infrastructure plan.

"President Biden and his team are considering a range of potential options for how to invest in working families and reform our tax code so it rewards work, not wealth," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement in response to the article.

"Those conversations are ongoing, so any speculation about future economic proposals is premature and not a reflection of the White House's thinking," the statement added.

Biden has ambitious plans for legislative action including infrastructure and tackling climate change. He used the Democrats' slender majority in the US Senate to push through a US$1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill earlier this month.

Psaki said last week the Biden administration was working closely with members of Congress about how best to fund plans for a large infrastructure package but that those plans had not yet been finalised.

Biden has pledged not to raise taxes on individuals making less than US$400,000 a year.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.