Biden digs at Trump while crowing about infrastructure and social spending bills

President Joe Biden touted the long-awaited passage of his bipartisan infrastructure deal, swiping at his predecessor while promising his estimated $1.75 trillion partisan social welfare and climate spending package would land on his desk soon.

Biden described the $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal as "a blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America" and a "once-in-a-generation investment in our people," joking that he was "happy" to declare it "Infrastructure Week" in a dig at former President Donald Trump.

"For all of you at home who feel left behind and forgotten in an economy that's changing so rapidly, this bill is for you," he said Saturday at the White House before leaving for his Delaware beach house. "The vast majority of the thousands of jobs that will be created don't require a college degree."

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Following a standoff on the House floor, the chamber passed the already Senate-approved infrastructure deal thanks to 13 Republican votes after some left-wing lawmakers pulled their support, fulfilling a pledge not to back the measure unless it was considered in tandem with the broader social spending package.

"I'm also proud that the House took a big step forward to pass my Build Back Better Act for the week of Nov. 15," he said, adding he was "so tired about trickle-down economic theory that I'm trickled out" and vowing to "pass this in the House, and we'll pass it in the Senate."

Answering questions from reporters, Biden said the message he received from this week's shock elections was that voters wanted Democrats to deliver on their campaign promises, standing by his perceived mandate. But he conceded his deal-making skills had become rusty after being out of government for four years.

"Part of the process is getting to know all the people personally," he said. "I don't intend to be anybody but Joe Biden. What I'm trying to do is do the things I was elected to do."

For Biden, the infrastructure deal would put the country "on a path to win the economic competition of the 21st century that we face with China." But he told reporters he was not prioritizing the Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, a bill that needs to be approved by the House.

"Everything in good time," he said.

The president also expressed ambiguity about giving compensation to illegal immigrant families separated at the U.S. border under Trump, a reversal from his initial dismissal of reports the Justice Department was negotiating up to $450,000 settlements with affected migrant families.

"If, in fact, because of the outrageous behavior of the last administration, you coming across the border, whether it was legal or illegal, and you lost your child, you lost your child, it's gone, you deserve some kind of compensation, no matter what the circumstance," he said, raising his voice. "What that will be, I have no idea."

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More than a dozen GOP lawmakers joined all but six Democrats in voting in favor of the infrastructure proposal on Friday night, which passed the Senate in August. Now, Congress can set its sights on the separate reconciliation spending bill, which has support from the handful of left-wing lawmakers who opposed the infrastructure bill but risks losing the backing of centrist members, such as Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, who want to rein in spending.