Joe Biden Ends Bid for Free Community College, Says His Plans for Paid Leave Is Shrinking Due to Lack of Support From 50 Democratic Senators

President Biden Attends Ceremony For 10th-anniversary Of MLK Jr. Memorial WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 21: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks during the 10th-anniversary celebration of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial near the Tidal Basin on the National Mall on October 21, 2021 in Washington, DC. Biden attended the memorial's dedication ceremony in 2011 with then President Barack Obama who delivered the keynote address. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Joe Biden officially ended his bid for two years of free community college for now.

On Thursday, the POTUS appeared at a town hall in Baltimore. He gave attendees an update regarding the social spending package that the Senate Democrats debated for weeks.

Biden said that the Democrats are down to negotiating four to five more matters. And he hopes they will make a deal before he leaves for a global climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland.

Joe Biden still in negotiations with Democrats

While speaking with Anderson Cooper, Biden confirmed the Democrats' decision to leave out some components of the social spending package after Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and Sen. Joe Manchin fought to shrink the budget from $3.5 trillion to around $2 trillion.

According to NBC News, one of Biden's agenda that will no longer move forward for now is his plan to offer free community college to Americans. But even if he couldn't pass the agenda right now, the POTUS said that he hopes it will become a law in the future.

The president revealed that his wife, Jill Biden, is a major supporter of the plan. And he also joked that he would be sleeping alone for a long time if free community college won't be offered in the coming years.

No free dental coverage for senior citizens

Biden also talked about the free dental coverage that Sen. Bernie Sanders wanted to offer to senior citizens, but Manchin opposed the idea. As such, this was also dropped from the Democrats' social spending package. Additionally, Biden confirmed that he's still negotiating with Manchin and Sinema over the hearing and vision coverage plan.

Tax hikes won't take into effect

The POTUS also said that hikes to corporate tax rates, which the GOP slashed to just 20 percent in their 2017 tax law, won't happen either. After all, Sinema voted against the cut.

There have been ongoing discussions regarding raising the tax rates for corporations and wealthy persons in the country. As of press writing, Biden and Senate Democrats are still thinking of ways how to raise revenues.

"Senator Sinema has agreed to provisions in each of President Biden's four proposed revenue categories - international, domestic corporate, high net-worth individuals, and tax enforcement - providing sufficient revenue to fully pay for a budget reconciliation package in the range currently being discussed," a source told Reuters.

According to Biden, his initial plan to offer 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents or people suffering from illnesses will be lowered to just four weeks.

Joe Biden, Joe Manchin still negotiating child tax credit

As of press writing, Biden and the Senate Democrats have not yet decided with regards to the child tax credit. Manchin initially wanted to add a work requirement to the tax child credit to prevent an entitlement society. However, Biden said that he's opposed to the idea.

According to the Huffington Post, Manchin may soon back down from his demand on the tax child credit. Following the town hall, Manchin said Democrats are not yet close to agreeing on Biden's social spending package.