I'm Brian Lehrer. This is my daily politics podcast from WNYC Studios. It's Friday, April 2nd.

If you've consumed a lot of mainstream press over the last two days, You might think the only debate over President Biden's

multi-trillion dollar infrastructure plan is between Republicans who think it's too big and Democrats

who think it's just right. But truth is, there's another debate that's also emerging between

Biden Democrats who do think the plan is right-sized and more progressive

Democrats who think it's too small in the number of dollars and not as transformational as

Biden likes to portray it as in climate terms and in human terms. Here is Bronx and Queen's

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on MSNBC.

First of all, you know, this is $2.25 trillion over eight years for context, because these huge

numbers are hard to understand.

For context, we passed an almost $2 trillion dollar COVID relief package that's supposed to

last us one year with some provisions lasting

up to two years. So the $1,400 stimulus checks that big package that we felt in our lives

were deployed on a shorter timeline. So I think that if we need to really have some shorter

timelines, some some urgency, greater urgency in this package, and I think that some of these investments need to really have some shorter timelines, some urgency, greater urgency in this package. And I think

that some of these investments need to be greater. AOC with Rachel Maddo on MSNBC. She also uses

an example from her own backyard to put the scope of the spending and what she sees as the scope of

the need into context?

This plan, this build back better plan, it advocates for a total national investment of $40 billion in public housing nationwide.

Sounds great, right?

Except when you consider the fact that the New York City public housing system needs $40 billion

alone just to get up to code.

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