President Barack Obama on Monday sent Congress a $4 trillion budget. It calls for more taxes on the wealthiest Americans and corporations and suggests investing in programs to help working families.

"The president’s budget begins to move us in the right direction. By rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, we can create millions of good-paying jobs. By making community college free, we can finally provide affordable access to higher education for working-class families," said Sen. Bernie Sanders, the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee.

Among new initiatives the White House laid out in the package is an ambitious $478 billion public works program for highway, bridge and transit upgrades. Sanders last Tuesday introduced his own legislation to rebuild America’s crumbling network of roads, bridges, transit systems and other infrastructure projects. The five-year plan would invest $1 trillion in the effort and create or maintain at least 13 million decent-paying jobs.

"By ending outrageous corporate loopholes, and by providing tax breaks to the middle class, we can begin the process of addressing the obscene levels of income and wealth inequality we are experiencing.  Clearly, the president’s budget is just a start, but it is a good start.  I look forward to working with my colleagues on the committee and in the Senate on a budget that helps the middle class, and not just the top 1 percent," Sanders said.