This week, we asked readers their thoughts on what the Democrats should cut from the $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill to get it over the line to satisfy Republicans.

 

“Oh! Is that what they’re doing? No, I don’t think they should try and appease the Republicans. Well, they shouldn’t cut healthcare and they shouldn’t cut education. That’s a very hard decision. I know they have to vote on something. Kids need education because it’s bad out here. They need all the education they can get. Oh gosh, maybe the added healthcare for seniors is, maybe, the least important now.”

Pamela Thomas

Norwood 

 

“I don’t think they should make a deal with any Republicans. I’m cut and dry now with those (expletive), and the Democrats that sided with the Republicans are going to get voted out of office. There’s a lot of schools now with pre-K and maybe that could be cut from the bill. Seniors are tired of their programs getting cut and are tired of footing the bill for everybody else. I’ve got to pay $269 for Medicaid and they knocked me down to SSI levels. Seniors need more. Seniors need hearing and dental.”

 

Stephen Avallone,

Wakefield

 

“Everything in the bill is important and we need it now. I think maybe they should cut the free pre-K. People need college, but maybe they can pass that next year. It’s better to get something than nothing. God is good all the time.”

Jonathan Ortiz,

Belmont

 

 

“They should repackage the bill and let the Republicans do it, because there’s no tomorrow with the Democrats, they don’t save anything. We need to save our children. We’re spending our grandchildren’s money. The stimulus checks are not free, and now we have inflation so everything that was $3 is $6 now. I don’t know. I’m about to leave this country and go to Poland or Norway. I support extra healthcare for seniors, but they need to fix the student loan debt crisis before giving people free college education. We weren’t offered free college when we were in school. If they don’t fix it, they’re never going to get the money and it’s going to cause the economy to go down. Some kind of forgiveness has to happen first for people who owe money and then no more free anything.”

Shaheem Solomon,

Kingsbridge

 

 

“I think that Joe Biden and the Democrats need to stop kowtowing to [Rep. Krysten] Sinema and [Rep. Joe] Manchin, negotiate the bill and move on. Manchin does not understand and Sinema has her own agenda- which we will never know. We have to lower the spending to $2 trillion and decide what we will spend it on. Time is running out and we will end up with nothing. That’s tough. I would not cut anything but would reduce the spending. If we had to cut something, I would say free college, that can wait.”

Michelle Massie,

Brooklyn