Biden: Democrats’ spending plan is ‘a bigger darn deal’ than ObamaCare

President Biden on Thursday said his “Build Back Better” plan is “a bigger darn deal” than ObamaCare, paying homage to the headlines he made in 2010 after being caught on a hot mic telling then-President Obama that the signing of the Affordable Care Act was a “big f—ing deal.”

During a CNN town hall Thursday night, Anderson Cooper recalled Biden’s comment before asking if his Build Back Better plan is “a bigger f’ing deal.”

Biden, after crossing his heart and grinning at the question, said his current legislative agenda, which includes a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and a multitrillion-dollar reconciliation package, is “bigger” than ObamaCare.

“You famously at the signing ceremony, I think it was for ObamaCare, you famously leaned in to the then-president, and I’m not going to say a direct quote, but off mic you said, ‘this is a big f’ing deal.’ And I’m wondering, the Build Back Better plan, is it a bigger f’ing deal?” Cooper asked Biden.

The president recalled the moment he learned about the hot-mic snafu before emphasizing the importance of his current agenda.

“The answer is yes, this is bigger,” Biden told Cooper.

“It is bigger because — not because what he did wasn’t enormous, he broke the ice, enormous. But part of what I have in here is we also increased access to the Affordable Care Act and we reduced the price an average of 60 bucks a month for anyone who is in the Affordable Care Act. Plus on top of that we have another $300 billion worth of health care in it,” he continued.

“So it’s — I would say this is a bigger darn deal,” the president emphasized, eliciting applause from the crowd.

“We also increased access to the Affordable Care Act and we reduced the price an average of 60 bucks a month for anyone who’s in the affordable care act. Plus, on top of that, we have another $300 billion of healthcare in it. So I would say this is a bigger darn deal.” pic.twitter.com/06NpRNSrhm

— Andrew Bates (@AndrewJBates46) October 21, 2021

Biden’s comments come as lawmakers on Capitol Hill and the White House are nearing the end of a months-long negotiating period for the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and the multitrillion-dollar reconciliation package.

Both pieces of legislation are central to the president’s legislative agenda.

Biden on Thursday revealed some key details regarding the negotiations, including that his proposal for paid family and medical leave has been reduced from 12 weeks to four weeks in the reconciliation package.