Pelosi downplays price tag of $3.5 trillion spending bill: 'Let's not talk about numbers and dollars'

In an interview with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that the focus on the Build Back Better legislation should not be on the $3.5 trillion price tag, rather on what the legislation will offer Americans.

According to the White House, the Build Back Better Agenda looks to lower costs of things like childcare and high education, cut taxes for families, and create jobs. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that this legislations would cost upwards of $5 trillion over 10 years, not $3.5 trillion.

"It will lower cost for families by lowering the cost of prescription drugs for seniors, and health care costs across the board. It will give a big — one of the largest tax cuts for the middle class with the Biden child tax credit and it will be paid for by making everyone pay their fair share. Lower costs, tax cuts, paid for, more jobs for the American people," said Pelosi.

"Yesterday the budget committee passed out the Build Back Better legislation at the full $3.5 trillion, that was the number that was sent to us by the Senate and by the president," Pelosi continued in the interview. "Obviously with negotiations there will have to be some changes in that, the sooner the better, so that we can build our consensus to go forward."

Stephanopoulos pressed Pelosi about the monstrous price tag and those Democrats who don't support it, to which Pelosi claimed that it "will be paid for," in response to fears about inflation.

"The holdouts in the Senate, of course, everyone knows Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema — at least those two. Joe Manchin says, $3.5 trillion is way too much and it doesn’t necessarily have to pass this year. Kyrsten Sinema says she’s not going to support any increases in income taxes or corporate taxes," said Stephanopoulos.

"This will be paid for, so when some say, oh well, what about inflation? It will be paid for, and that’s the beauty of it, by having those in our economy and society who have not paid their fair share, paying their fair share," Pelosi responded.

"So, again, the Senate and the House, those who are not in full agreement with the president, right, let's see what our values — let's not talk about numbers and dollars. Let's talk about values," she continued.