Granholm on initiatives cut from spending package: ‘The fight is not over’

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Sunday said “the fight is not over” when asked about a host of initiatives that were eventually cut from the latest iteration of the Democrats’ social spending package.

Asked by host Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press” about initiatives eliminated from the White House’s reconciliation framework — specially paid family leave a prescription drug plan  — Granholm signaled that the party would continue fighting for those programs even if they don’t end up in a final version of a forthcoming bill.

“The fight is not over, though, Chuck. This is not as though we’re done and we’re gonna go home,” Granholm said.

The White House released its $1.75 trillion framework for its social spending package last week, which was a significantly scaled-back version of the initial $3.5 trillion proposal. The party is looking to pass the bill through reconciliation, which will allow Democrats to buck a potential GOP filibuster by only requiring a simple-majority vote.

Among the initiatives not included in the framework are paid family leave and a plan to lower prescription drug prices.

Granholm emphasized that the bills represent a “compromise,” and said it is possible that programs cut from the current bill may be considered in separate legislation.

She said she disagreed with Todd’s analysis that initiatives eliminated from the current package will not make it into another bill because of the political climate in Washington, suggesting that some Republicans may get on board with paid family leave.

“[T]here are, believe it or not, once in a while, a few Republicans who actually support paid family leave because they want to be pro-family. And so maybe they won’t vote for it in this whole big bill, but it’s possible to go after pieces of this separately,” Granholm said.

“And later the president’s not given up on that. He’s not given up on reducing the cost of prescription drugs; it’s why he’s got so much in this framework to reduce the cost of health care for everyday citizens. So this is a really exciting moment for the nation, and we hope that this week we’ll be able to see it come to fulfillment,” she added.