(NEW YORK) — Democrats will reach a deal on President Joe Biden’s agenda in the Senate, former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton said Monday on “The View,” but the passage of legislation like the $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill is “overdue.”
“I think they will get a deal,” Clinton said. “They have to get into the details– so what would go into that bill that would fit into the amount of money that they’re willing to spend– and I actually think they’ll get a deal. But it’s going to be a roller coaster and it’s not going to be pleasant.”
Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., are at an impasse with the rest of the Democratic caucus when it comes to passing Biden’s “Build Back Better Act,” a spending plan set to fund a number of social programs.
“The bill has so much support for families who have gone through such a terrible time, and deserve to have support. And things that are way overdue, like paid family leave and support for quality child care– things that other countries that like us have been doing for years and we are way behind in catching up,” she said.
She also likened some members of the Republican Party to members of a cult in reference to the party’s embrace of the “Big Lie” that the election was stolen. She said she believes the country is in the midst of a constitutional crisis.
“That gives me absolutely no satisfaction in saying this, because I think we’re at a very dangerous, continuing high-level attack on the legitimacy of our government and the election of our president. Obviously, our former president is not only behind it, he incited it, he encouraged it and he continues to do so,” Clinton said in reference to the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
New reporting from ABC News’ Jonathan Karl’s book “Betrayal” detailed Trump’s reaction to the crowd.
He boasted about the size of the crowd, and he argued with aides who wanted him to call on his supporters to stop rioting.
When combined with misinformation shared on Facebook and other social media sites, Clinton said, “We’re still in the midst of a concerted, well-funded effort to undermine American democracy.”
The former New York senator told “The View” co-hosts that she hopes Congress can come together in a bipartisan manner to pass some sorts of regulations when it comes to Facebook and the access children have to social media.
“I’m hoping that maybe this can be on a bipartisan basis that we can come up with appropriate regulations and changes that will rein in this overwhelming power a company like Facebook has, to really try to get the good that it has,” she added.
A Senate subcommittee last Tuesday heard from a whistleblower who claims Facebook manipulated content it knew was harmful to young users, a day after the social media giant experienced an apparently unrelated massive outage. She alleged blatant disregard from Facebook executives when they learned their platforms could have harmful effects on foreign democracies and the mental health of children. Facebook has disputed her claims.
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